Toxic liquor: Remand extended of suspects who prepared moonshine

Suspects were held for selling tainted liquor which killed at least 13 people.

KARACHI:

A district and sessions court extended the physical custody remand of two men allegedly involved in the preparation of toxic liquor, which claimed 13 lives and was sold with counterfeit labels, on Thursday. 

The investigating officer requested the court to extend the remand of the suspects reasoning that two of their accomplices were still at large and he needed time to interrogate the suspects about the whereabouts of the absconders. The officer said that he had sent samples of the raw liquor and other objects seized from suspects’ possession for chemical examination and was awaiting the lab reports to incorporate them in the investigation.

Following the request, Mumtaz Ali Solangi, a judicial magistrate in district South, remanded the men, Jamil Rafiq and Babar Siddique, on the charges of preparing the lethal moonshine and the death of 13 people since the third day of Eid. The court also directed the officer to submit a charge sheet at the next hearing.

Independent sources claimed, however, that the death toll was as high as 20 on the basis of statements from the bereaved families. According to unconfirmed reports, two traffic police sub-inspectors, Ghazi Ghulam Abbas and Zia Mughal, were also among the victims.

Following the incident, the police claimed to have arrested two suspects while another two of their accomplices, Dilbar Hussain alias Dilawar and Nasir, remained at large.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 16^th, 2013.