The number of deaths in the hooch tragedy in the Tamil Nadu-Karnataka border climbed to 44 on Monday, even as the state police increased vigilance and advised public not to consume illicit liquor. The toll in Tamil Nadu has gone up to 13 since Sunday morning when the first case was reported. The total toll, according to latest reports, was put at 44 amid fears that it would go up considering many were still battling for their lives at various hospitals on both sides of the border. Some reports put the toll at 65.On Monday, eight more persons died in Bangalore, four in Kolar and one in Tamil Nadu’s Krishnagiri district after battling for their lives since Sunday morning. Many more have been admitted to various hospitals in both states, some in a critical condition. There are also reports about many others losing their eyesight after drinking the hooch. The dead belonged to Hosur and nearby areas in Tamil Nadu, and Kolar and Bangalore in Karnataka. The inter-state border is notorious for many cases of hooch tragedies and reports about illegal liquor brewing, allegedly with the connivance of the police. With elections in Karnataka, bootleggers might have been trying to push bad quality alcohol to meet the demand, they added.DIG K Shenbagaraman said a couple was detained under the Bootleggers Act, adding that a liquor kingpin has also been arrested in Bangalore. The incident has also prompted Karnataka DGP Sri Kumar to issue order to crackdown on areas notorious for illicit liquor brewing. As many as eight vendors have been arrested from Kolar region, announced officials in Bangalore.The Tamil Nadu Police’s attempt to nab the bootleggers and big agents or hooch stock is yet to bring in any positive results, as the offenders seem to have destroyed their stock and went into hiding after the tragedy. The Krishnagiri district police team has been strengthened by bringing in additional forces from neighbouring districts to conduct search and seizure operations in the wake of the deaths. Faced with failed raids and lack of a proper lead to investigate, the police are now spreading awareness among the public, many illiterate, about illicit liquor.Superintendent of Police Thenmozhi said the police were distributing pamphlets to the public and showing scrolls on local TV channels as well, adding that the campaigns have been launched in about 150 villages. The Revenue Department is also helping out the police in this effort. This border region has seen many a hooch tragedies in the past, killing many who consumed poisonous alcohol sold cheaply as liquor.Meanwhile, the Krishnagiri district administration on Monday distributed Rs 10,000 allotted by the Tamil Nadu Government to the kin of five of the ‘eligible’ victims.
