MP hooch tragedy: Wanted accused arrested after police encounter, 19 held so far

A man wanted in connection with the hooch tragedy in Madhya Pradesh's Sagar district that claimed 16 lives was apprehended after a brief encounter with police early on Sunday, officials said.

The 21-year-old accused, Shivanjay Rajput, who was carrying a bounty of Rs 30,000, suffered a gunshot wound to his leg during the face-off, they said.

With this, the number of accused arrested in the spurious liquor consumption case has gone up to 19, police sources said, adding that FIRs have been registered against 30 persons.

Rajput allegedly fired three rounds at a police team during a search operation near Kathua Nala forest area under Bahrol police station. The security personnel fired two rounds in retaliation, hitting him in the leg, police said.

The accused was subsequently arrested and taken to a hospital for treatment. His condition was stable, Sagar police control room in-charge sub-inspector RKS Chauhan told PTI over the phone.

Rajput, a resident of Chhapri village under Banda police station in Sagar, had been absconding since the spurious liquor incident earlier this month. He was involved in brewing the liquor, and a reward of Rs 30,000 was offered for information leading to his arrest, according to police.

A country-made .315-bore pistol, three live cartridges, three empty cartridges, a mobile phone and a motorcycle were recovered from his possession, a police statement said.

Police received information early on Sunday that Rajput, who allegedly has three criminal cases registered against him and was previously involved in liquor smuggling, was in the forest near Kathua Nala and might pass through the Dhamoni-Bahrol road on his way home in Chhapri.

 

Following the tip-off, teams from Bandri and Bahrol police stations cordoned off the area and launched a search. 

Rajput, who was on a motorbike, allegedly opened fire after spotting the police team, prompting retaliatory firing in which he was injured, the officials said.

Earlier, on Friday, one of the main accused in the Sagar hooch case, Ravi Lakhera was also captured after a brief police encounter. He was involved in 25 criminal cases and carried a reward of Rs 30,000 on his head.

Lakhera, hailing from Lalitpur in Uttar Pradesh, was allegedly involved in manufacturing the spurious liquor.

The Sagar spurious liquor tragedy has claimed at least 16 lives so far since last week, with a patient in hospital still critical, an official said.

Police have claimed that a suspected gang from Lalitpur was linked to the manufacture and supply of the spurious liquor.