Contaminated: Toxic liquor claims 13 lives in Pindi, AJK

MUZAFFARABAD/RAWALPINDI:

At least 13 people lost their lives after consuming toxic liquor in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and Rawalpindi during the last 24 hours, police and hospital sources said.

In AJK, the police say five residents of Jatlan village in Mirpur district died after consuming the locally-made liquor on Sunday. The deceased were identified as Dilawar, Abid, Farooq, Khalid Mirza and Abdul Kalam while Imran is in critical condition at the Mirpur District Headquarters Hospital.

Station House Officer of the Afzalpur police station Raja Nadeem Arif confirmed to The Express Tribune the death of the five men. He said the police are investigating the case to arrest the bootlegger.

The residents of Jatlan and Afzalpur have asked the authorities to launch a crackdown on drug peddlers and liquor suppliers in the area.

Meanwhile in another incident, eight people died as a result of consuming poisonous liquor in Kahuta are in the outskirts of Rawalpindi on Saturday.

The deceased were identified as Waseem, Tasleem Raza, Kamran, Akhtar Mehmood, Muhammad Ayaz, Asif Mushtaq, Mehmood and Sheeraz Ahmad.

Rawalpindi City Police Officer (CPO) Humayun Bashir Tarar constituted a team under the supervision of Saddar Police Station superintendent of police on Saturday to conduct raids and nab the bootlegger.

The police team has arrested the prime suspect of selling the toxic liquor, Shahzaib alias AC.

Further investigation is under way.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 30^th, 2014.