The death toll in the alleged duplicate liquor case in Gujarat’s Bhavnagar has risen to 13, while another death is being investigated as suspicious, officials said. The family of the person whose death is under investigation has claimed that alcohol consumption may have caused the death. However, the post-mortem report is awaited, and authorities will establish the exact cause of death after the medical examination.
The case came to light on August 18 after several people fell ill in Kharkhadi village of Ghogha taluka, allegedly after consuming liquor sold in bottles carrying Royal Stag labels. Around 20 people were admitted to hospitals following the incident, with some requiring intensive treatment.
State Monitoring Cell (SMC) teams took over the investigation and began probing the alleged manufacturing and supply network behind the duplicate liquor.
According to investigators, the liquor was allegedly manufactured locally in Bhavnagar instead of being brought into Gujarat as a finished product. During the investigation, police identified the house of accused Gautam Solanki as one of the alleged manufacturing locations. Royal Stag-labelled bottles, liquor, raw materials and other equipment were reportedly recovered from the premises.
Investigators also found that substances allegedly used to manufacture the liquor, including methanol, ethanol, essence and colours, were brought from different parts of the country. The material was allegedly transported through a facility near Sarkhej Highway in Ahmedabad before being taken to Bhavnagar.
Police are now investigating the source of the bottles, labels, caps and other packaging material allegedly used to make the duplicate liquor look like branded alcohol. A total of 21 people have been arrested in connection with the case. Of these, 13 accused who were allegedly directly involved in manufacturing and supplying the duplicate liquor have been produced before a court, with investigators seeking their remand for further questioning.
The accused include Gautam Solanki, Jatin Kambad, Sarus Solanki, Paras alias Pappu Chudasama, Mandeep Singh Gohil, Dharmendra Singh Gohil, Jaydeep Makwana, Harsh alias Hasu Chauhan, Vivek Algotar, Bhargav Bhatt, Keval alias Sango Solanki, Sukhdev Salat and Hardik alias Tincho Baraiya.
The case has also led to action against police officials. Vartej Police Station Inspector S B Padheriya was suspended by Range IG Rajendra Asari. Bhavnagar LCB Inspector Mayurdhwajsinh Sarvaiya was also suspended in connection with the case.
The investigation is now focused on tracing the entire supply chain, including the source of raw materials, bottles, labels and caps, the transportation network and the people allegedly involved in manufacturing and distributing the liquor.
Investigators are also trying to identify those who allegedly purchased the duplicate liquor in bulk and retailers who may have sold it to consumers. They are also checking whether the liquor was supplied to areas outside Bhavnagar and whether more people are linked to the network.
While 13 deaths have been confirmed in the case, the additional death remains under investigation. Authorities are awaiting the post-mortem report to determine whether it was linked to the alleged consumption of duplicate liquor.