An inter-state fake liquor gang sourced raw material from Delhi, then manufactured and sold adulterated alcohol that killed at least 20 people in Madhya Pradesh’s Sagar district earlier this month, police said, adding that one of the makers died after drinking the spurious product himself.
The primary suspects, Manish Lodhi and Siddharth Kushwaha are yet to be arrested. A police team arrested a bottle supplier, Pankaj Rai, and, acting on his information, raided the factory operating in Rai Colony in Gwalior. In investigations conducted by a separate police team, the owner of RN Chemical, Anup Giri, who sent chemicals from Delhi to Sagar, was taken into custody and on questioning, confessed that he had sent five plastic drums of industrial spirit/thinner from Delhi to Sagar by transport. Giri has been arrested.
Police seized machines used to produce bottles, sealing equipment, 11,050 empty bottles, raw capsules for plastic bottles, and other materials during raids conducted across the state. So far, police have named 52 people as suspects in the case, arresting 37. “On September 6, police received reports of deaths in villages under Banda police station due to spurious liquor consumption.
Separate cases were registered and the main accused Ravi Lakhera and Karni Sena leader Chandrabhan alias Chandu Raja were arrested,” Anurag Sujania, Sagar superintendent of police, said.
“Another accused, Chandu Raja alias Chandrabhan, admitted to partnerships with licensed contractors Siddharth Kushwaha and Manish Lodhi to facilitate illegal sales through licensed shops.
Further investigation showed that Shivanjay Rajput and Rohit Patel connected Chandu Raja with Dinesh Shivhare of Morena, who brought raw materials including industrial spirit from Delhi and bottle wrappers from Gwalior,” said the SP.
