State CID begins probing illicit liquor racket in Pune city

Pune: The state CID on Sunday said that its investigators are probing how the illicit liquor racket functions in the city and how methanol, which is a regulated substance under the Maharashtra Poisons Rules of 1972, reached the hands of the suspects in the case that emerged last week.

The CID has taken custody of eight suspects involved in the spurious liquor racket till date, and the death toll remained at 17 as of Sunday.

“We are probing the case with the help of different agencies, such as the state excise department and others,” said Sunil Ramanand, additional director general of police (CID).

The state CID office in Pashan was heavily guarded on Sunday, and no one was allowed to enter the premises.

Ramanand added, “Methanol is a restricted substance. How it was supplied online will be probed. We will also probe how it reached Pune and how it was mixed with the illicit liquor.”

“Moreover, we will also investigate how the illicit liquor is shipped into Pune city from the different sources and manufacturing units,” he said.

According to revelations by the police last Friday, it had been found that the accused, Yogesh Vhankade alias Sikandar Rathod, procured methanol from an e-commerce website and mixed it with country-made liquor bought from Uruli Kanchan to amplify the intoxication. Many customers, mainly daily wagers, who consumed the hooch in different areas of Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad later succumbed to severe poisoning.

The CID has also decided to take over three cases of the state excise department, in which the same suspects have been booked or arrested by the department in Pune, related to spurious liquor mixed with the methanol.

On Saturday, the state excise department officers took action at Walhe in Purandar, Ambi village near Lonavla, Loni Kalbhor and other spots in Pune district, where illicit liquor was being manufactured.

A total of 55 cases have been registered by the state excise department in this drive. Department officials seized 4,480 litres of illicit liquor, 4,200 litres of chemicals required to make illicit liquor, and other articles, all worth Rs24.12 lakh in total.