Mumbai hooch tragedy: 4 get lifer, 15 get two years jail

Four persons were sentenced to life imprisonment and 15 others sent to jail for two years by a local court for supplying spurious liquor to a group of people as a result of which 87 people had died in a suburb here in 2004.

The incident had occurred on December 25, 2004, in suburban Vikhroli when the accused made and supplied liquor to a group of people. A total of 285 persons were hospitalised after they consumed country liquor which was found to contain methanol. Of these, 87, including two women, died.

Dayaram Mhatre, Pandit Kalan, Pradeep D'mello and Vishnu Mhatre were sentenced to life imprisonment by Sessions Judge W K Kandankar for making spurious liquor while 15 others got two years jail sentence on various counts for supplying the country liquor mixed with methanol. All the sentences would run concurrently.

The 15 accused who got lighter punishment are Ramesh Pokarkar, Sanjay Kolekar, Laxmi Shetiyar, Vadivel Shetiyar, Ayappa Shetiyar, Chitra Shetty, Asha Saroj, Sunil Kandhare, Seema Shetty, Anand Shinde, Nagamma Shetty, Radha Shetty, Kharva Pavadt, Maya Khan and Babu Kamble.

They were convicted under section 65(d) and 65(e) of Bombay Prohibition Act for supplying spurious liquor.