Toll now 111, cops look for Ludhiana bizman, 7 others

WHILE GURDASPUR, AMRITSAR DISTRICTS REPORTED TWO DEATHS EACH ON MONDAY, TARN TARAN WITNESSED THREE MORE FATALITIES

CHANDIGARH: Punjab Police on Monday apprehended 12 more persons, including two businessmen, and have launched a manhunt for a Ludhiana-based paint business owner, Rajesh Joshi. Joshi supplied the initial three drums of spurious liquor triggering the wave of deaths last week, where the toll is now 111.

Gurdaspur and Amritsar districts reported two deaths each on Monday , and three more persons died in Tarn Taran. The total number of arrests in the case has gone up to 37, including five kingpins of the illicit liquor mafia that spanned several districts of the state. A manhunt has been launched for eight more identified accused, said DGP Dinkar Gupta.

With Punjab chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh asking the police not to spare anyone, the state police have launched a departmental inquiry against two DSPS and four SHOS suspended for negligence. The magisterial inquiry ordered by the CM is also probing the involvement of all suspects, as well as six police and seven excise and taxation officers who were already suspended.

Among the arrests made is Ravinder Singh Anand of Moga. Anand, who runs a factory manufacturing jacks, had bought three cans of 200 litres each of the spurious liquor at Rs 11,000 a drum from Joshi, as he had started manufacturing hand sanitisers.

From Anand, the three drums went to Avtar Singh, also of Moga, who sold it to Harjit Singh and his two sons, residents of village Pandori Gola in Tarn Taran, for Rs 28,000 a drum. Harjit and his sons paid Rs 50,000, with balance still pending, and hid the drums in bushes near their village. Anand’s questioning led to Joshi, who is evading arrest.

50,000 LITRE LAHAN SEIZED IN LUDHIANA

The police recovered 50,000 litres of lahan near the banks of the Sutlej in Ludhiana on Sunday night.

The police also confiscated drums, plastic cans and utensils used for making illicit liquor. Police commissioner Rakesh Kumar Agrawal said the area where the illegal business was going on was difficult to approach.

The accused were identified as Rajjapur village residents Jogga Singh, Makahn, Jagmeet and Gurdeep; Ajit, Raj alias Kalu alias Kali, Satnam, Babu, Nanak Sawarn alias Babbi, Balbir Singh alias Billu, all residents of Bholewal Jadid village.

In the last 48 hours, 519 cases under the Excise Act were registered in the Ludhiana police commissionerate and 590 persons were arrested, Agrawal said.

The police have recovered 40,779 litres of liquor and over 2.5 lakh litres of lahan.