SSP admits five hooch deaths in Muzaffarpur village

PATNA: Muzaffarpur SSP Jayant Kant on Sunday admitted that the five deaths at village Dargah under Katra police station area of the district since February 17 were related to spurious liquor.
Incidentally, three persons from Gumla in Jharkhand had died from hooch poisoning at Majhaulia village under Vijaypur police station in Gopalganj on February 17. Two more persons from the same village became partially blind on February 19 due to hooch poisoning.
Earlier, Muzaffarpur police had confirmed only three deaths; that of Ramchandra Manjhi (70), his wife Manju Devi (65) and one Vinod Manjhi (45). Till Saturday night, police said Vinod had been suffering from tuberculosis and died from the same while the couple had asthma and no element of hooch poisoning.
The couple had died on February 17 night and they were cremated without informing the police. Vinod died on February 18 and his body was sent for postmortem.
Sources said at least four more persons from the same village were ill after consuming poisonous liquor and had been clandestinely undergoing treatment at private clinics and hospitals.
When contacted, the SSP told TOI over phone that three persons had died on February 17 and two more the next day. “The other two were Ajay Manjhi and Sonal Singh. Except Vinod, the bodies of rest four were already cremated without police information,” he said.
“The symptoms indicate that all five died from hooch poisoning. Two persons were arrested late Saturday evening in connection with the deaths. The main accused, Mukesh Singh and Pramod Das, are evading arrest,” he said.
He said Sonal is the son of accused Mukesh. “It was Pramod who had manufactured the hooch and Mukesh had sold it. The five deceased had consumed the spurious liquor at Pramod’s residence,” the SP said.
The SSP also said at least 25 bottles of spurious liquor manufactured by Pramod were seized during raids at Dargah on Saturday. “Raids are still going on to nab Mukesh and Pramod and others involved in manufacturing and supplying liquor,” he said.
He said an FIR had been registered with Katra police station on the statement of Dargah village chowkidar against Manoj, Pramod and others. The SSP had suspended Katra SHO Sikandar Kumar and chowkidar on Saturday besides attaching circle inspector Mithilesh Kumar Jha to the police lines.