Motihari hooch tragedy: 2 accused surrender in court

Patna: The two main accused in the hooch tragedy in Motihari, East Champaran district, surrendered in a local court on Monday. Sunil Sah and Kanhaiya Yadav were involved in running an illicit liquor trade that claimed nine lives and left over 10 people hospitalised in the Raghunathpur and Turkaulia police station areas over the past week.

Those who died have been identified as Chandu Kumar, Pramod Yadav, Parikshan Manjhi, Hiralal Bhagat, Lalkishor Rai, Sampat Sah, Laddu Sah, Vinod Shah and Yoddha Manjhi.

East Champaran SP Swarn Prabhat said that before their surrender, two other key conspirators—Sajan Yadav alias Khalifa and Naga Rai—had already been arrested and sent to jail. “The investigation has established clear links among all the accused, and efforts are on to trace the entire network,” he said.

During raids, police seized 50 drums of poisonous spirit, which laboratory tests confirmed to be methanol—an industrial chemical highly toxic to humans. Preliminary findings suggest the substance was sourced from outside the district, and much of its transportation and supply chain has been traced. The SP said transporters and other associates have been identified and raids are underway to arrest them.

Police said the accused sold spurious liquor at Rs 50 per glass. After the arrest of Sajan Yadav, Naga Rai and Jammu Baitha on the night of April 3, Sunil Sah and Kanhaiya Yadav came under police scrutiny. “Raids were conducted at multiple hideouts, prompting them to surrender. They are being interrogated separately,” the SP added.