Pune Hooch Tragedy: Methanol Mix Revealed
The spurious liquor that claimed the lives of 15 people in Phugewadi and Hadapsar areas of Pune was a deadly mixture of country-made liquor and methanol, according to investigations by the Pimpri Chinchwad police. The accused, Yogesh Vhankade (23), a resident of Mundhwa, is believed to have orchestrated the lethal concoction.
An officer from the Pimpri Chinchwad crime branch disclosed to TOI that Vhankade ordered methanol online from a well-known e-commerce website. Last week, he purchased five cans of country-made liquor from Radheshyam Prajapati (35), who operates illegal manufacturing units in the Uruli Kanchan area.
The officer explained that Vhankade diluted the liquor obtained from Prajapati with methanol near a toddy shop in the Khadki area to maximize his profits. Vhankade admitted that he mixed methanol with the liquor to enhance its intoxicating effect after dilution.
Vhankade sold the adulterated liquor to Karnail Singh Virka (73) of Phugewadi, who has been illegally selling country-made liquor from his residence for the past four decades. Most of the victims had purchased the spurious liquor from Virka. Additionally, Vhankade supplied the same toxic liquor to another seller in the Khadki area.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone-I) Sandip Atole of the Pimpri Chinchwad police confirmed that the entire chain, from the illegal manufacturer to the sellers, has been identified. The four arrested accused have been remanded in police custody until June 8.
Along with Vhankade, the police arrested Virka, his son Gurumangatsingh Virka (45), and Prajapati on Friday. The state excise department took three other accused into custody: Akash Jadhav of Hadapsar, Irfan Qureshi of Khadki, and Aryan Dhotre of Gokhalenagar. They have also been remanded in police custody.
Later that day, the police arrested Virka’s wife, Inderjeet Kaur Virka (60), and Kalpesh Agarwal (29) of Khadki. They are scheduled to be produced before the court on Saturday.
Neighbor Reports Virka Dumped Liquor After Deaths
Karnail Singh Virka allegedly emptied cans of the spurious liquor into a gutter outside his house in Phugewadi after news of the deaths emerged. Yogesh Mirpagar, a neighbor, told TOI that within seconds, the area was filled with the strong smell of liquor.
Mirpagar stated that Virka and his family had been selling liquor from their home for the past 40 years. People frequently visited the premises and consumed alcohol there. Virka owned two rooms adjacent to Mirpagar's house, where he stored the liquor. His supplier would arrive in the early hours and hide the cans in those rooms. Every day, from early morning, people would come to buy liquor.
Another resident, Yallappa Valdor, mentioned that everyone was aware of the Virka family's illegal liquor sales. However, such a tragedy had never occurred in their area before.
