24 more in critical condition; three arrested.
By Dileep Thekethil
Illicit liquor has claimed the life of 41 slum dwellers in Mumbai, leaving 24 more in critical condition at a local hospital.
According to the Press Trust of India, the first case of death was reported from the Malad area on Thursday, where more than 13 people lost their lives after consuming the homemade liquor. The death toll reached 25 by Friday afternoon as more people were admitted from nearby areas where the deadly hooch was supplied.
The Mumbai police have arrested three people in connection with the case and have slapped them with charges under various sections of IPC, such as culpable homicide not amounting to murder and causing hurt by means of poison, with intent to commit an offence and acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention.
According to police, the people who were arrested made the tinted low-quality liquor to make profit by selling it among the poor slum dwellers.
Tragedies caused due to the consumption of illicit liquor have become common in many Indian states. In 2011, nearly 170 people lost their lives and scores lost vision in the eastern state of West Bengal after drinking illegally distilled homemade liquor.
The spokesperson of the Mumbai police said that they are still investigating the source of the liquor, how many people drank it and the exact type.
The hazardous levels of methanol, which is used as an antifreeze, solvent, fuel, and as a denaturant for ethanol in hooch can cause blindness and even death when consumed.