'Alcohol with methanol used for making spurious liquor in Sangrur tragedy'

Alcohol containing methanol content was used for making spurious liquor which left 20 people dead in Punjab's Sangrur district, police said on Saturday.

Police have arrested eight out of the 10 identified accused in connection with the Sangrur hooch tragedy, they said.

The death toll due to the suspected consumption of spurious liquor in Sangrur district has climbed to 20, with six more people succumbing during treatment, officials on Saturday said.

Eleven people are undergoing treatment at Patiala's Rajindra Hospital and six at the Civil Hospital in Sangrur.

The officials said the casualties have been reported from Gujran, Tibbi Ravidaspura and Dhandoli Khurd villages in Dirba and Sunam blocks.

A four-member special investigation team (SIT), led by Additional Director General of Police Gurinder Singh Dhillon, was set up on Saturday in connection with the incident.

Addressing the media here, ADGP Dhillon said three FIRs have been lodged so far in connection with this incident.

Out of 10, eight accused including two masterminds -- Harmanpreet Singh and Gurlal Singh -- have been arrested, he said.

Police have also recovered spurious liquor and other equipment used for manufacturing and labelling it from their possession.

Investigation revealed that alcohol with methanol content from a factory in Noida was procured by the accused.

Methanol is used in many industrial products, he said, adding that "It has a major content of methanol which is fatal.

Dhillon said both Harmanpreet and Gurlal, who had a criminal past, had planned it when they were in the Sangrur jail.

The SIT would supervise the uncovering of the backward and forward linkages, in this case, said police.

Deputy Inspector General (Patiala Range) Harcharan Bhullar, Senior Superintendent of Police, Sangrur, Sartaj Chahal, and Additional Commissioner (Excise) Naresh Dubey are part of the SIT.

Those arrested have been identified as Soma Kaur, Rahul alias Sanju and Pardeep Singh alias Babi, all residents of Chauwas in Cheema; Gurlal Singh of village Ubhawal in Sangrur, Harmanpreet Singh of village Taipur in Patiala, Arshdeep Singh alias Arsh of village Rogla; and Manpreet Singh alias Mani and Sukhwinder Singh alias Sukhi, both residents of village Gujjran in Dirba.

The SIT will thoroughly investigate the forward and backward linkages in this case to unearth the modus operandi and nexus to trace the source of spurious liquor which found its way to the villages and all the culprits involved in this case will be arrested, said police.