Pharmacy, godowns sealed in Old Town after police recover 30 litres of methanol
The Hindu
Vellore police seize methanol from pharmacy and godowns in Old Town area, linked to hooch tragedy.
The Crime Branch of Vellore police on Thursday seized 30 litres of methanol, an industrial chemical, from a pharmacy and its two godowns in the Old Town area that comes under Vellore Corporation limits.
Revenue authorities and a police team led by K. Malathi, Revenue Divisional Officer (RDO), Vellore, found five litres of methanol in the pharmacy, during a surprise inspection in the town’s main bazaar.
The remaining chemical was recovered from its godowns.
The pharmacy and godowns were then sealed.
Initial inquiry revealed that V. Kasturi Rangan, 53, who runs the pharmacy, illegally brought the consignment from Andhra Pradesh to sell the chemical to private clinics and laboratories in retail.
This comes in the wake of a hooch tragedy at Karunapuram in Kallakurichi in June 2024 that claimed over 65 lives.
A case has been registered. A probe is under way.
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