The accused in the Malvani hooch tragedy, which has killed 97 people so far, will be tried under the stringent Maharashtra Prevention of Dangerous Activities of Slumlords, Bootleggers, Drug Offenders and Dangerous Persons Act (MPDA), the Mumbai Police said on Sunday.
The alleged kingpin of the supply network, Mainkaini Swami, alias Akka, who has been arrested at least five times earlier by the Excise Department, continues to evade arrest.
Asked if Akka’s repeated involvements in such crimes and unearthing of an organized network which smuggles the liquor into city slums made it a fit case for Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act, 1999 (MCOCA), Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Atul Kulkarni said that MPDA would be slapped instead.
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In the past, Akka had always managed to obtain bail and return to the business of brewing and supplying of alcohol. But if arrested for the latest hooch tragedy, she and her co-accused booked under MPDA may not be able to secure bail for at least a year. Two other women, Mamata and Agnes, said to be vital to the illegal supply chain, were arrested on Sunday.
The Northern Range police have purportedly seized close to 200 litres of illicit liquor and registered 35 cases. Additional Commissioner of Police (Northern Range) Fatehsingh Patil said in all these cases, penal provisions pertaining to administering poison shall be slapped instead of prohibition laws.
“Considering that these slums are densely populated and it is not easy to search every house when there are nearly six lakh people living in these slums, our men have camped in Malvani and are raising awareness [among the residents] that the substance they have bought is poisonous. Many have come forward with the packets and submitted them before us,” said Mr. Patil.
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