The death toll in the Malvani hooch tragedy climbed to 94 with the death of four more persons. About 34 people are still being treated at various hospitals.
“The death toll has risen to 94 while 45 are still undergoing treatment in various hospitals of the city,” Mumbai’s Deputy Commissioner of Police Dhananjay Kulkarni told PTI .
This is the worst hooch tragedy in the city since December 2005 when 87 people lost their lives due to consumption of spurious liquor in suburban Vikhroli.
Eight personnel attached to Malwani police station had been suspended after the incident.
The Excise Department had earlier suspended four of its officials in connection with the incident for incompetence and dereliction of duty, State Excise Department Commissioner Shyamsundar Shinde said.
“We are checking every home in the vicinity and asking them whether they consumed liquor on that day. We found eight such persons and have admitted them to a nearby hospital,” a police official said earlier.
The Excise department in the last one year had registered 117 cases of distribution of hooch in Malwani.
Antop Hill police on Saturday raided an illegal shop in Sion-Koliwada Area and seized 40 litres of illicit liquor.
“We had information of illicit liquor being sold in the area. So we raided the shop and seized the liquor,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone 4) Ashok Dudhe said.
