Uttar Pradesh: Two die after consuming spurious liquor in Etah, one critical

AGRA: Two persons died after allegedly drinking spurious liquor at Jamalpur Durjan village under Jalesar police station area in UP’s Etah district on Friday while one is battling for life at a private hospital in Hathras. The deceased were identified as Mahesh Singh and Jaipal Yadav while Raghuraj is in hospital.
According to police, the family members cremated Mahesh without informing the authorities.However, police managed to secure Jaipal’s body and have sent it for a post-mortem examination.
Giving details, Uday Shanker Singh, Etah senior superintendent of police, said, “Preliminary investigation found that the three people drank liquor on the evening of June 24, and they fell ill in the night. Mahesh and Jaipal died on Friday. Raghuraj was admitted to a private hospital. We have received information that the three men had put some tablets in the liquor. We are awaiting the post-mortem report of Jaipal.”
An alert has been sounded in Etah following the two deaths that took place just weeks after some 100 people died of alcohol poisoning in Aligarh between May 28 and June 6. The hooch deaths were first reported in Aligarh’s Lodha block when villagers started dying allegedly after consuming toxic liquor illegally sold to authorized vends. The toll soon spread to adjoining blocks. On June 2, 12 people died after drinking toxic liquor dumped by the same gang along the Upper Ganga canal near Rohera village in Jawan area. Another person had died the day after in Aligarh’s Kodiyagunj village.
SSP Uday Shanker Singh said, “The entire matter is being investigated by the Jalesar police station team. We are trying to identify the place from where the three men had purchased the liquor. Raghuraj’s statement will soon be recorded. All the station house officers have been directed to ensure no manufacturing or sale of spurious liquor takes place in their areas.”