Three arrested for hooch deaths in Surat city

SURAT: Crime branch on Sunday arrested three bootleggers, including two women, for allegedly selling spurious liquor to two persons who died after consuming it in Kapodra area of the city on August 30. Those arrested were Padma Chaudhary, her husband Jitu and Rukmani Reddy.
Padma and her husband Jitu, both bootleggers operating from Parvat Patia, spilled the beans to crime branch as to how the spurious liquor had entered the city.They also shared details from whom they had bought the liquor that had killed the two persons in Kapodra. Padma had sold liquor to Rukmani, who operates from Margha Farm under the limits of Kapodara police station, and it reached the two.
Padma told police that she had been buying country liquor from Munno Bhusko of Khadsa in Sarthana area of the city. She used to purchase 14 bags each of 2.5 litre for Rs2,500 from Munno. Since the supply from Munno had been irregular in the past few days, Padma began to purchase country liquor from Ramchalla alias Mamo from Niyol village of Surat district. Niyol is near Vareli where majority of deaths from suspected spurious liquor were reported.
Ramchalla supplied the liquor for Rs2,300 for 14 bags and this encouraged Padma to purchase it from him. After purchasing liquor from Ramchalla, Padma used to dilute it by adding water. She used to make small pouches of Rs10 each. She told the police that the deceased could have died due to the liquor that she bought from Niyol.
"The investigation is on and we are yet to arrest the person who had supplied liquor to the bootleggers in the city. Only after arrest of the main supplier will the things get clear," said Ashish Bhatia, city police commissioner, who is supervising the investigation in the two hooch deaths that occurred in the city.
Meanwhile, police sources said that Ramchalla was alerted by someone in the police and he escaped. He has also been given money by a person to stay away from Surat.