Southern States - Tamil Nadu   

Three more arrested for hooch deaths

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI NOV. 29. The police today arrested Farooq of Lakshmipuram, Ponneri, who allegedly sold illicit arrack, which claimed 15 lives, and two others in connection with the tragedy. They were remanded to judicial custody.

The Deputy Inspector-General of Police, Chengalpattu range, S.G. Rajendran, gave the names of the other two arrested as Manoharan, an `assistant' of Farooq, and Sheikh Mohammed of Tondiarpet, Chennai, a scent-seller. The total number of arrests has now increased to four. Anusuya, an arrack seller, was arrested soon after the tragedy.

Mr. Rajendran said Farooq allegedly purchased methanol (methyl alcohol), consumption of which led to the deaths, from Mohammed. The modus operandi of Mohammed was to draw a portion of the contents of original scent bottles and fill them up with methanol. Efforts were on to locate the source, which supplied the alcohol to Mohammed. The police suspected that the methanol supply had been obtained from a neighbouring State.

Apart from the Government scheme to rehabilitate bootleggers and the awareness campaign among the people, there was need for transformation in the offenders themselves. Even in the last fortnight, Rs. 80 lakhs was given as government grant under the scheme to 75 former illicit arrack sellers in Tiruvallur district, he said.

Meanwhile, the CPI(M) secretary, N. Varadarajan, said liquor tragedies had become a recurrent problem in Tiruvallur district. The incidents only highlighted the Government's failure to eradicate illicit distillation and initiate firm action against the distillers and to solve poverty and unemployment problems in rural areas. The Government should provide relief to the victims' families, and proper treatment should be given to those admitted to hospital, he said.

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