Check stocks of neutral spirit in distilleries, govt tells cops

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, August 9

After the team probing the illicit liquor tragedy found that extra neutral alcohol (ENA) was being pilfered from distilleries and supplied to bootleggers, the police have been directed to check neutral spirit stocks in each distillery.

A magisterial probe was also ordered by the Punjab Government and investigators are looking into the role of the distilleries. The police have been asked to keep a check on dhabas on GT Road and link roads here, an official said. Investigations revealed that the ENA, meant for industrial purpose, was pilfered at dhabas in Rajpura and Zirakpur.

While police teams had raided different dhabas at Rajpura and Zirakpur, the name of an eatery in Jandiala also cropped up during the investigation.

Meanwhile, the rural police reportedly arrested Raju, the main supplier of spurious liquor. Yesterday, they nabbed Gurwinder and Lovepreet, involved in the manufacturing of spurious liquor. The duo followed the similar process used at Pandori Gola village that led to the tragedy claiming over 100 lives in three districts — Tarn Taran, Amritsar and Batala.

The police are also conducting raids to arrest Bikka and nine others, who used to purchase illicit liquor from the duo. They booked Raju, Gurwinder and Lovepreet for attempt to murder and under relevant sections of the Excise Act.

About 160-litre spurious alcohol in four cans of 40-litre each, two empty drums, two empty cans of 40-litre and seven small pouches of 2-litre each were seized from Gurwinder’s house, from where the two accused were apprehended.

On testing, it was found that the liquor was spurious. Its key chemicals were 1-propanal, iso-butanol, acetal, ethyl lactate and ethyl hexanoate.

Majithia seeks cbi probe into ‘nexus’

Former minister Bikram Singh Majithia on Sunday visited the families of victims of the spurious liquor tragedy during a ‘bhog’ ceremony at Amritsar’s Mucchal village. He demanded an inquiry by a High Court judge or the CBI to unearth the “nexus” operating in Punjab.