Hazardous brews: Tainted liquor death toll reaches 15

Grand operation launched against those involved in illicit liquor business.

BAHAWALPUR:

The number of deaths from consuming tainted liquor in Rahim Yar Khan has reached 15, The Express Tribune has learnt.

Six men died on Tuesday, after nine had died the previous night. Several others were taken to various hospitals, where they were reported to be in critical condition.

Those who died on Tuesday were identified as Rafique Araeen, Kalu, Muhammad Kazim, Master Bashir, Nehal Masih and Muhammad Sadiq.

Iqbalabad and Abadpur police said of the nine men, six had been pronounced dead before they were taken to a hospital. Police said these men had been reportedly throwing up after drinking liquor, believed to be tainted. They were identified as Khalil Ahmed, Dilshad Ahmad and Shakoor Ahmad of Badli Sharif area; Jamal Chauhan of Tib Chauhan area in Akbarabad; Binyameen Kamboh and Muhammad Shabbir of Fazalabad.

The other three- Haseeb Shah of Irrigation Colony and Odh Colony’s Bhola and Muhammad Ashraf- were pronounced dead later at the Shaikh Zayed Hospital. Police said three of them had been drinking at a house in Essa Colony. They were taken to the hospital by their family when they started vomiting.

Police said Shah was a former police employee and had been suspended from service a few months ago for his alleged involvement in drug trade and drug abuse.

Also on Tuesday, residents of the two areas staged a protest demonstration outside the office of the District Police Officer Sohail Zafar Chattha. The protesters demanded that the police act against liquor dealers and arrest those responsible for the deaths.

They said that such businesses appeared to be thriving in Iqbalabad and Abadpur area. They said the police “staged actions against drug dealers”.

They said several illegal liquor distilleries were running openly, most facilitated by the police, who, they alleged, took their share from those operating them.

The protest continued for several hours before an Iqbalabad police team visited the scene and informed the protesters that a man suspected of being a bootlegger had been arrested. He was identified as Shahbaz Korai. Police said they were looking for other dealers as well.

DPO Chattha told The Express Tribune that the regional police officer had taken notice of the incident. He said a grand operation had been launched against those involved in the illicit liquor business.

He said the police had arrested 17 people since the deaths. He, also, said that the number of deaths from tainted liquor was not being reported accurately in media.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 11^th, 2013.