Two die after drinking country liquor in Rajkot

Rajkot: Two men died under suspicious circumstances late on Sunday night, after allegedly drinking country liquor at a house in Bhagirath Society, in the jurisdiction of the B Division police station, prompting suspicion of a possible hooch tragedy. The deceased were Mansukh Dabhi (50) and Alpesh Sabariya (43).

According to police, both men allegedly drank the liquor at a house on Street No. 10 around 10pm on Sunday and later fell unconscious. They were rushed to the civil hospital, where doctors declared them dead.

Police ordered a forensic postmortem to ascertain the exact cause of death. Officials said the incident is being treated as a suspicious death and an unnatural death case was registered.

According to G R Chauhan, inspector of B Division police station, CCTV footage from the house and nearby areas have been seized for investigation. Three persons, including Jina Bhagat and a bootlegger identified as Ramla, are being questioned.

Preliminary inquiries suggest Sabariya allegedly bought the liquor from Ramla. Police said Dabhi, Sabariya and Bhagat were going to drink the liquor together, but Bhagat later them to carry on without him. Investigators are also probing claims that liquor pouches exchanged between Sabariya and Bhagat may have been tampered with.

Meanwhile, Dabhi’s family members have alleged foul play. His eldest son, Vinay Dabhi, told mediapersons that his father, a labourer, was also associated with the imitation jewellery sector. He said the family had recently begun renovation of their house in Bhagirath Society.

According to the family, Dabhi’s younger went to deliver food to him on Sunday night when he found Dabhi and Sabariya unconscious. Emergency services were called but both men were declared dead at the hospital. An empty liquor pouch was recovered from the scene.

The family alleged that Dabhi had earlier informed police about Jina Bhagat’s alleged gambling activities. Vinay Dabhi said Jina Bhagat was unhappy with the renovation and allegedly wanted possession of their property. The family suspects that poison was been deliberately added to the liquor.

Further investigation is underway.