Pune, May 29 (IANS): At least 13 people have died and several others are reported to be in critical condition after allegedly consuming toxic liquor in Maharashtra’s Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad areas. An FIR has been registered at Dapodi Police Station under Crime No. 114/2026 under Sections 105 and 123 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita along with other relevant sections and the Maharashtra Prohibition Act. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has taken serious note of the tragedy and directed police commissioners in both Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad to take strict action against those responsible, instructing officials to conduct a thorough investigation and ensure that nobody involved in the racket escapes punishment. Five accused are currently in police custody while three others are in the custody of the State Excise Department, and the investigation has been handed over to the Crime Branch. Superintendent of Police of the State Excise Department Atul Kanade stated that the accused allegedly mixed the toxic chemical methanol into the liquor, resulting in multiple deaths, with Yogesh Wankhede identified as the alleged main distributor of the toxic liquor in Hadapsar, Pune and the Phugewadi area of Pimpri-Chinchwad, with police having registered a separate case against him at Dapodi Police Station.
Grieving family members of the victims recounted the horrifying sequence of events that unfolded after consumption of the suspected poisonous liquor, with a family member from the Pandhare Mala locality in Pune stating that five people from the area were affected, including three from their own family – Arun, Rahul and Yashwant – who started vomiting within about 10 minutes of consuming the liquor and complained of severe stomach pain. The daughter of one of the deceased, Arun Vaman Dadar, said her father consumed alcohol regularly and used to drink day and night, adding that after drinking he would often skip meals and fall asleep, and that while he had experienced dizziness four or five times earlier, the family never imagined it would become so serious as he used to consume country-made liquor. Initially, seven deaths were officially confirmed with three people undergoing treatment in hospitals, however later reports indicated that the death toll had risen to 13, leaving several families devastated. Police have intensified efforts to identify and apprehend others linked to the illegal liquor network.