Toddy Adulteration Kills 5 People, Hurts 15 People in Kukatpally

Hyderabad: At least five people have died and 15 others have been hospitalised after allegedly consuming adulterated toddy from three compounds in Kukatpally and KPHB since Monday night. While police officially confirmed one death, hospital sources and the victims' families claim the toll is higher.

The deceased include Seetharam, 47, a mason from Sriramnagar Colony, and Swaroopa, 61, a housewife from Hydernagar. Police have not released the names of two others suspected to have died at Kukatpally.

Seetharam had consumed toddy on Monday evening and began vomiting soon after. He was declared dead at Gandhi Hospital the next morning. His wife Anita filed a complaint with the KPHB police, who registered a case of suspicious death. Swaroopa also developed similar symptoms on Sunday and died before receiving treatment.

Another death was reported on Wednesday evening. Monika, a resident of Satavahannagar, was shifted to Ramdev Hospital, where she was declared brought dead.

Her body was sent to the Gandhi Hospital mortuary for post-mortem examination. A case of suspicious death was registered with the Kukatpally police. Further investigation into the incident is underway.

A Gandhi Hospital source who conducted autopsies on two victims said, “There's a preliminary suspicion of alprazolam being mixed in the toddy. The final cause will be known only after FSL reports.”

As panic spread, the excise department arrested five people — Chinthakibdhi Nagesh Goud, Batti Srinivas Goud, T. Srinivas Goud, K. Kumar Goud, and Teegala Ramesh — and sealed three toddy compounds. Around 674 litres of adulterated toddy were destroyed. Six cases were registered: five with the Balanagar Excise Police and one with the KPHB Police.

At NIMS Hospital, 15 patients are under observation. One, G. Monappa, 65, is on a ventilator, while six are being evaluated for dialysis, according to a statement from the hospital. Others are undergoing fluid resuscitation.

Families at the hospital spoke of sudden symptoms and financial strain. Krishnaveni, the wife of one of the patients, said, “He drank toddy to soothe his stomach ache. Now both his kidneys have failed. We’re shattered.”

Yadadri’s family said he had consumed toddy from the same compound over several days and suffered recurring symptoms. “We suspect it was the same batch,” they said.

The Telangana Anti-Narcotics Bureau (TGANB) has also collected urine samples from the victims to confirm suspicions of chemical adulteration.

Excise minister Jupally Krishna Rao and BJP MP Etela Rajender visited the patients on Wednesday.

While the minister praised the swift action by excise officials in shifting the victims, he assured that “no one, however influential, will be spared.”

The BJP leader Rajender, meanwhile, accused officials of attempting to suppress the incident, saying the real toll may be under-reported.

Officials have sealed liquor depots linked to the case and sent samples to the Excise Chemical Lab and the Forensic Science Laboratory. Based on the reports, the government has promised criminal action and licence cancellations.