Chargesheet in June 18 tragedy has details of 577 witnesses; the document was submitted in court by the Crime Branch yesterday and the next hearing will be on September 14
The Mumbai Crime Branch yesterday filed a 13,760-page chargesheet in the June 18 Malwani hooch tragedy case in which 106 people had died and another 75 were hospitalised. The chargesheet, which has details of 577 witnesses, was filed at the Esplanade Magistrate’s Court in the afternoon yesterday.
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This file pic shows the mourning relatives of the victims. The Malwani hooch tragedy claimed lives of 106 people, while another 75 were hospitalised after consuming adulterated alcohol
The next hearing will be on September 14, when all the accused will be presented before the court. So far, the police have arrested Raju Tapkar alias Langda (50), Gautam Arade (33), Donald Patel (40), Francis D’mello (46), Salimuddhin Shaikh alias Jental (39), Mamta Rathod (30), Agnes Grasis (50), Mansur Khan alias Aatik alias Rahul (26), Kishor Patel (59), Prakash Bhai alias Lala alias Gurubhai Patel (42), Liladhar Patel (57), Geeta alias Simran Saiyad (45), Subhash Giri (66) and Bharatbhai Patel (41). Two others, Natubhai Patel and Sanjay Thomar, are absconding.
Roles defined
According to an officer investigating the case, Aatik used to purchase ethanol from Vapi but, when he fell short, he contacted Gurubhai and Bharatbhai, who supplied him with methanol that they used to steal from tankers in Gujarat.
Aatik then supplied it to Gautam, Francis and Jental, who brewed the hooch and gave it to Langda, Donald, Mamta, Grasis and Geeta, who supplied it to consumers. In the chargesheet, the police have attached the death certificates and post-mortem reports of the deceased in the case.
They have also attached the Call Detail Records (CDR) of the accused and CCTV footage of some of the accused supplying the illicit alcohol. The chargesheet also says that two-and-a-half drums of liquor were seized. One drum had 190 litres of methanol. Around 30 litres of methanol were mixed into the batch of liquor which caused the death of 106 people.
The Sections applied in the case are 302 (murder), 307 (attempt to murder), 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 326 (voluntarily causing grievous hurt by dangerous weapons or means), 328 (causing hurt by means of poison, etc., with intent to commit an offence), 114 (abettor present when offence is committed), 109 (punishment of abetment if the act abetted is committed in consequence and where no express provision is made for its punishment) and 120 b (criminal conspiracy) of the IPC.
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