Every single toddy depot in the state have access to chemicals
The toddy depot owners would allegedly mix the chemicals in pure toddy to produce bottled liquor on a large scale. From less than 200 litre of pure toddy, they would make around 1,000 litre by adding these chemicals and water, said sources from TS
Hyderabad: Massive quantities of chemicals like diazepam, alprazolam and chloral hydrate have been smuggled from Bengaluru and Mumbai to toddy depots across Telangana.
The toddy depot owners would allegedly mix the chemicals in pure toddy to produce bottled liquor on a large scale. From less than 200 litre of pure toddy, they would make around 1,000 litre by adding these chemicals and water, said sources from TS police and Excise department.
Sources said that the water was diluted with soap nuts (Sapindus, fruit pulp used to make soap) before adding to the toddy. The liquor sold across Telangana till the first week of September had 24 impurities. Thus after the ban, it resulted in mass withdrawal symptoms and deaths.
The three drugs used in the toddy were of chemical quality, not medical quality, which made it deadly, said experts.
According to senior Excise department officials, pharmaceutical companies in Hyderabad do not have these chemicals. The department has been carrying out raids in many pharma companies in the last two days, however, they haven’t come upon these chemicals.
“We raided several old pharma companies and other suspicious places in the city and outskirts. But none them had these drugs. So it could be possible that the chemicals were being brought in from other states. We are still verifying how the drugs were smuggled into the state,” said state Excise chief Mr Akun Sabarwal.
The most alarming fact that enforcement agencies stumbled upon was that every single toddy depot in the state had access to these chemicals.
“Certainly there is an organised gang working behind this. However, we are yet to make a breakthrough in the case,” a senior official said.
The Toddy Tappers Cooperative Society is supposed to purify the liquor before selling it.
“However, instead of purifying it, the sellers were turning it into poison that would kill consumers slowly,” an official said.
Medical experts say a person who consumed this toddy for more than two weeks would develop serious liver related diseases.
Withdrawal symptoms in pure toddy
As many as eight persons, including two women, died from toddy withdrawal symptoms on Friday. Five of the deaths were reported from Mahbubnagar district.
Two persons died in Mahbubnagar’s Boorgu: K. Chennaiah, 45, at a private hospital at Jadcherla and Laxmaiah, 45, a tailor. Yadamma, 55, from Gangapur died while undergoing treatment.
B. Bisanna, 48. from Thimmapuram in Itikyal mandal, who went missing on September 22, was found dead in Byrapura. H. Chowdappa, 62, from Penchikala Padu in Gattu mandal died while undergoing treatment in Kurnool.
Mutyal Reddy, 70, and N. Manemma, 65, from Kottur committed suicide, officials said.
In Adilabad district, Pundalik, 40, from Basara committed suicide by hanging himself from a tree in a school while Narsimhulu, 80, committed suicide.
In Nizamabad district, Chinna Ramulu, 42, was discharged from hospital on Wednesday but suffered a bout of fits on Friday and died.
( Source : deccan chronicle )
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