The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Four more held for liquor deaths

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Thursday, May 29, 2008
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Four more held for liquor deaths

Staff Reporter

One of them bought methanol from an industrial solvent dealer

61 persons died in the city after consuming the brew
Police are trying to trace the other accused

Bangalore: In a major breakthrough, a special police team has been able to apprehend four persons responsible for the hooch tragedy, which killed 61 persons in the city earlier this month.

The police identified them as Muneer (28), resident of Nalagalli, Hosakote; Nagendra (32), resident of M.S. Ramaiah Nagar; Shameer (23) and Abbu (30), residents of Kattigenahalli, Bangalore Rural district.

With this, 12 persons have been arrested so far in connection with the hooch tragedy.

Addressing presspersons here on Wednesday, Police Commissioner N. Achuta Rao said that various teams were still investigating the case and trying to trace the other responsible for the sale of the killer brew.

After Soundar alias Sundar and his family members were arrested last week, the police learnt about the involvement of Musthu alias Musthaq. They later found that he had died of a heart attack on May 21 at Kattigenahalli in Bangalore Rural district.

Rectified spirit

Mr. Rao said that the special team led by B.K. Singh, Deputy Commissioner of Police, East Division, was responsible for apprehending the four accused.

He said that investigation had revealed that on May 12 or 13, Shameer and Abbu were approached by Mehabub Jan, who wanted rectified spirit for the preparation of illicit liquor.

It was then that Shameer, who knew about Muneer’s dealings in chemical waste, approached him.

Muneer, who has been dealing in industrial waste fluids, approached Nagendra through a person named Mazahar.

He bought six barrels of methanol from Nagendra, a trader of industrial solvents and industrial waste fluids. Muneer later supplied the same to Shameer and Abbu.

Methanol barrels

Mr. Rao said that Abbu delivered the methanol barrels to Mehabub Jan, who is said to have later distributed the same to more than 10 persons for the preparation of hooch. These people reportedly supplied the brew to various vendors in the State.

He said that efforts were on to exchange intelligence with the Bangalore Rural police to apprehend the others involved in the incident.

He added that following the short supply of rectified spirit in view of the elections, the bootleggers were desperate to secure it from any source and supply the same. He said that after Muneer and Mazahar supplied methanol to Shameer, he is said to have conducted tests and concluded that it was fit for human consumption.

“We are investigating the veracity of this detail,” he said.

Incidentally, Muneer was one of the accused in a dacoity case.

The case went to court, and he was later acquitted.

Muneer has taken up petty jobs such as working as a driver of a commercial vehicle and dealing in scrap.

Another special team headed by Additional Director-General of Police (Law and Order) Shankar Bidari is looking into the incident in cooperation with the Tamil Nadu Police.

Gopal B. Hosur, Joint Commissioner of Police, and N.D. Mulla, DCP (Crime), were present.

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