Learning a lesson from one of the worst hooch tragedies that has claimed nearly 100 lives in last four days in suburban Malad, the Mumbai Police has decided to seize all stock of illicit liquor from the city’s north zone to make it ‘countrymade liquor-free’ area.
So far, 99 people have died after consuming spurious liquor in Malad area of the city, police said.
“I have directed all the police stations and all other units of Mumbai Police that come under my jurisdiction to ensure that the entire zone is free of country made liquor, so that no further loss of life is reported due to this social evil,” said Additional Commissioner of Police, North Region, Mumbai, Fattesingh Patil.
“I have asked Deputy Commissioners of Police (DCPs) working under me to act upon it and make sure that every drop of illicit liquor be seized wherever it is stocked,” he said.
Patil also said that in order to stop the menace of “Gavathi Daru” (countrymade liquor) in slum areas, a police team has started programmes to reach out to people in the slums and establish a direct dialogue with the women there for awareness against such liquor.
“These are the women who, and their children, suffer the most due to any such tragedy. So, if our policemen approach them, they will act as informers and tell about the hideouts of countrymade liquor,” he said adding that police station officers have been directed to visit the slum areas, collect information and take strong action against bootleggers.
“Our teams have registered 35 cases against 40 people, including women, for possession of spurious liquor and we are slapping stringent section 328 of the IPC for causing hurt by means of poison that amounts to punishment upto 10 years,” said Patil.
Nearly 50 people have been detained under preventive custody who have past criminal record, he added.
