Bhavnagar Hooch Tragedy: 3 Dead After Consuming Spurious Liquor At Party; 4 Bootleggers Arrested

Bhavnagar Hooch Tragedy: Panic has gripped Gujarat’s Bhavnagar district following suspected consumption of spurious liquor. On the night of August 16, a group of friends held a liquor party; one young man died on the spot after allegedly consuming the illicit alcohol, while six others fell ill and were hospitalized. Two more of the hospitalised youths subsequently passed away during treatment, bringing the total death toll in this tragic incident to three. The investigation into the matter has now been handed over to the State Monitoring Cell (SMC).

Health Deteriorated After Liquor Party

According to Jagran, seven friends from Kharkadi village organised a liquor party on the night of August 16. Shortly after allegedly consuming the spurious liquor, all of them suddenly fell ill. The first to die was a man named Upendrasinh Gohil.

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SP Nitesh Pandey stated that the remaining six individuals were immediately admitted to Sir T Hospital and other private hospitals. During treatment, the condition of 24-year-old Vishvarajsinh Gohil and Ghanshyamsinh Jadeja was reported to be critical. Following the deaths of these two, the administration confirmed a total of three fatalities.

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Suspicion Of Poisoning

According to the police administration, the deceased have been identified as 40-year-old Kartik Ashwinbhai Makwana, a resident of Talaja Road, Bhavnagar), 25-year-old Upendrasinh Chandrasinh Gohil, from Kharkadi village, Ghogha taluka), and Narendrasinh Yadav, from Indore, Madhya Pradesh.

Narendrasinh, the brother of the Upendrasinh, has alleged that there is a strong possibility the liquor was laced with poison. He stated that after consuming the liquor, his brother and friends began vomiting incessantly, and their condition became critical. A forensic post-mortem is being conducted on the bodies to ascertain the exact cause of death.

4 Bootleggers Arrested

The police have detained four bootleggers involved in selling spurious liquor. Preliminary investigations reveal that four accused individuals,including the racket's main supplier and retailers, have been arrested. The police are currently tracing the entire network. The investigation has also disclosed that this consignment of spurious liquor was sold on a large scale within the Vartej police station limits and other areas of the city.

Bhavnagar police are coordinating with the FSL (Forensic Science Laboratory) team, and the testing of liquor samples has commenced. The police and local administration have appealed to the public not to consume this liquor, given that a large batch of the counterfeit product has been sold in the market.