Punjab Police arrests Ludhiana-based paint store owner accused of supplying spurious liquor

Chandigarh: The Punjab government said that the state police have arrested a Ludhiana-based paint store owner, allegedly responsible for triggering the chain of events that ultimately resulted in the hooch tragedy. “In a major breakthrough in the hooch tragedy case, Punjab Police has arrested Ludhiana-based paint store owner, allegedly responsible for triggering the chain of events that ultimately resulted in the death of 111 persons across three districts,” Punjab government said. Earlier on Monday, the Punjab Police apprehended 12 more people, including two businessmen, in connection with the spurious liquor case. The police had launched a manhunt for a Ludhiana-based paint business owner who had initially supplied three drums of spurious liquor that had caused several deaths in the state. Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh had directed Director General of Police (DGP) Dinkar Gupta to put the full might of the police force in tracking and apprehending every single person involved in the case and move swiftly to ensure stringent action against each of them. The magisterial inquiry ordered by the Chief Minister is also probing the involvement of all suspects, as well as the six police and seven excise and taxation officers whose suspension was ordered by the chief minister on Saturday. The Chief Minister had on Saturday announced Rs 2 lakh compensation each to the families of the deceased.