Mumbai hooch toll rises to 53, eight cops suspended

MUMBAI: The toll in the hooch tragedy here rose to 53 while the condition of 28 victims continued to be critical even as three persons were arrested and eight cops suspended over the incident.

This is the second biggest hooch tragedy in over a decade, the first being in suburban Vikhroli in 2004 in which 87 people died after consuming spurious liquor.

The incident occurred at Laxmi Nagar slum near Gamdevi Jurassic park in suburban Malad on Wednesday night and the victims started showing symptoms soon after.

Police today produced all three accused -- identified as Raju Hanmanta Pascar (50), Donald Robert Patel (47) and Gautam Harte (30) -- before a court here which remanded them in police custody till June 26, said Dhananjay Kulkarni, spokesperson for Mumbai Police.

The accused have been booked under Sections 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 328 (causing hurt by means of poison, etc. with intent to commit an offence) and 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of IPC.

Kulkarni said police have collected samples of spurious liquor and sent them for analysis.

Meanwhile, eight personnel attached to Malwani police station were suspended in connection with the incident.

"Senior police inspector (attached to Malwani police station) along with seven other personnel, including three officers and four constables, have been suspended for connivance/negligence," said Kulkarni.

The suspended cops were identified as senior police inspector Prakash Patil, assistant police inspector Jagdish Panhale, sub-inspectors Shankar Gharge and Manisha Shirsat, Head Constables Rammilan Singh, Arun Jadhav and Vilas Desai, and police naik Sanjay Mane.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had last night ordered an inquiry into the incident.