Killer brew contained methanol – laboratory tests

The illicit liquor, which has claimed more than 180 lives in Karnataka and neighbouring Tamil Nadu, contained the poisonous chemical methanol, a laboratory test on the samples recovered from the victims has revealed.

Methanol, which is also known as Methyl alcohol, is a colourless and poisonous liquid, whose consumption can cause permanent blindness or death.

Deputy Commissioner of Bangalore urban district M A Sadiq told reporters that the samples of the illicit liquor were subjected to tests at Central Chemical Laboratory, Excise Department, and Central Forensic Sciences Laboratory, Bangalore. “The tests revealed that the brew had been made of methanol. The chemical seems to the killer”, he said.

Chief Chemist of Central Chemical Laboratory Basavaraj said the tests were conducted on samples collected from a victim in Devar Jeevana Halli in Bangalore, where nearly 90 people had died after consuming the illicit liquor.

The laboratory reports have been submitted to the police and excise department officials. Excise department officials too confirmed that the killer brew was diluted methanol.

After the Government banned arrack in 2007, bootleggers used to siphon off rectified spirit from distilleries to manufacture illicit arrack. “However, the tight vigil mounted by the excise and police officials against flow of liquor during the elections virtually dried up the flow of rectified spirit from the distilleries, forcing the bootleggers to try out methods like diluting methanol to continue their illicit business”, an excise official said.

Meanwhile, the authorities have carried out a massive combing operations and raids in the City and other hooch-affected areas in the City to unearth hidden sachets of the killer brew.

The excise and police department officials found thousands of sachets of the illicit liquor, each containing about 100 ml of the killer brew, and destroyed it. Five persons allegedly involved in the racket have also been arrested so far.

Based on credible information, excise department sleuths began combing operation in P V K Nair layout and found a few sachets of spurious liquor in a house. Next, the sleuths raided another house nearby and found 40 sachets of the brew. Owners of both the houses were arrested.
Based on the information provided by the two, the sleuths found hundreds of sachets hidden in a well. The sachets were retrieved with the help of bulldozers and fire force personnel. “The accused had hid the sachets in the wells after hearing the news about the tragedy”, Deputy Commissioner of Excise Mohan told reporters.