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Toddy laced with drugs in Vikarabad, reveals probe

Officials await results of spiked toddy samples from forensic lab

By Srinivas M

Published Date - 12 January 2021, 11:46 PM

Toddy laced with drugs in Vikarabad, reveals probe

Hyderabad: Investigators from Prohibition and Excise Department probing the adulterated toddy incident that allegedly claimed the lives of two elderly persons besides causing health complications for more than 150 people have found that the shop owners were selling toddy laced with drugs to provide ‘kick’ to customers.

Though the Excise Department seized over 15 toddy shops in Nawabpet and Vikarabad after many people from over half a dozen villages started behaving abnormally and became sick, senior excise officials said drugs used by toddy shop owners could be identified only after getting the reports of toddy samples sent to the excise lab and forensic science laboratory for analysis.

Preliminary investigation into the incident revealed that the shop owners in two mandals were found to be mixing toddy with drugs. As toddy could not be supplied in the first week of January, villagers who used to consume it developed withdrawal symptoms and fell sick from Thursday night.

This prompted the district administration to be on alert to ensure proper treatment to the affected persons. A senior Excise Department official told Telangana Today that toddy shop owners seemed to be mixing toddy with certain drugs and the reports of the samples were awaited.

Vikarabad district Additional Collector Mothi Lal said as many as 150 people, who were admitted in different hospitals in Vikarabad and Hyderabad, were discharged on Monday. Of them, four were admitted again to hospital when they started behaving abnormally after returning home.

“The affected people are mainly suffering from psychological problems because of withdrawal symptoms,” Lal said, adding that the situation was now under control. According to Lal, there is a huge demand for quality toddy in villages.

To cash in on the demand, a few shop owners were allegedly mixing it with water and other chemicals. Several drums filled with toddy were found in many shops in the district when officials conducted searches. Reasons behind the death of the two senior citizens would be known only after getting the autopsy reports even though the family members alleged that they died after consuming adulterated toddy.

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