Three arrested for selling spurious liquor
PRAYAGRAJ, March 16 (HS): Police and Excise department of Prayagraj division has swung into action after hooch tragedy in Pratapgarh and Fatehpur districts in quick succession. IG (range), KP Singh and ADG zone Prem Prakash convened a meeting on Monday night after which, crackdown kicked off on those involved in the trade of spurious liquor. Incidentally both Pratapgarh and Fatehpur falls under Prayagraj division.
A person identified as Niranjan Kumar (21) was arrested under Manda police station of Prayagraj on Tuesday and 60 liters of spurious liquor was recovered from his possession. Equipments and raw material used to manufacture liquor were also seized. In a similar exercise under Mauaima police station of the district, 50 liters of spurious liquor.
Moreover, two men have been arrested for selling suspected spurious liquor whose consumption resulted in the deaths of two labourers, while 19 others fell ill in Fatehpur district, officials said on Tuesday. Those arrested have been identified as Santosh Lodhi, a resident of Indro village, and Durgesh Kumar of Jaitpur village in Fatehpur district, Superintendent of Police Satpal told HS. Spurious liquor was recovered from the two, the SP said. He also said names of some other people selling suspected spurious liquor have emerged during interrogation and police are searching for them.
A total of 21 labourers, engaged for laying the roof of a house in Bhauli village in Ghazipur area of Fatehpur district, were taken ill last Wednesday after consuming illicit liquor, Fatehpur sub-divisional magistrate Pramod Jha had said. Two labourers, identified as Shivbhola Paswan (40) and Motilal (50), died on Thursday and Friday respectively, Jha said. Paswan died while being taken to hospital on Thursday while Motilal died while undergoing treatment in a Fatehpur government hospital. Other 19 are undergoing treatment at a hospital in Kanpur, he said. On Saturday, an excise department inspector, a police sub-inspector and two constables were suspended in connection with the case.
