Lucknow: The Uttar Pradesh Police has rejected claims of a Lalitpur connection to the spurious liquor tragedy in Madhya Pradesh’s Sagar district, where methanol-laced hooch has claimed more than a dozen lives and left dozens of people hospitalised, saying there is currently no evidence to establish a link with illegal liquor production in Lalitpur.
The clarification from the UP Police came after Sagar district police suggested that the toxic alcohol outbreak could have a Lalitpur connection.
The tragedy in Sagar has resulted in multiple fatalities and dozens of hospitalisations, prompting the Madhya Pradesh government to suspend local excise and police personnel and order a high-level inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the sale and consumption of the spurious liquor.
Lalitpur Police referred to a joint operation conducted on May 4, 2026, in which a gang allegedly involved in illicit liquor activities was arrested.
The gang was reportedly led by Ravi Lakhera and Chandresh Lodhi and had links to districts in Madhya Pradesh. The accused already face gangster proceedings, according to Lalitpur Police.
Lalitpur officials also pointed out that all 20 accused named in the FIR registered by Sagar Police are residents of Madhya Pradesh, with the exception of one person who has been residing locally for a long period.
Lalitpur Additional Superintendent of Police Kalu Singh said, “Accused Ravi Lakhera holds liquor shop licenses in MP, and several criminal cases related to liquor are registered against him in various police station areas of MP.”
He further said that in the case registered on September 6 at Banda police station under Crime No. 658/2026, all 20 named accused are residents of Madhya Pradesh.
According to him, only one accused, Akash Rai, has been shown as a resident of Madawara in Lalitpur, but he has also been living in the Banda police station area for the past 10 years.
Lalitpur officials maintained that no illegal spirit-based liquor is being manufactured in the district and urged Sagar Police to share any evidence that may have emerged during its investigation indicating a connection between Lalitpur and the Sagar tragedy.
“No illegal liquor of any kind is being produced anywhere in Lalitpur from spirit/chemicals, etc. If any facts connected to Lalitpur have emerged so far in the Sagar police investigation, they should certainly be shared with the Lalitpur police. The Lalitpur police and Excise team are jointly continuing action against the production and sale of illegal liquor,” ASP Kalu Singh stated.
The clarification came after Sagar district Superintendent of Police Anurag Sujaniya, speaking to the media on Sunday, said there was a strong possibility of a Lalitpur link to the spurious liquor that led to the deaths in villages of Banda tehsil.
The statement was made just a few hours after reports of deaths began emerging from the affected villages.
Sujaniya had cited the recent case involving the busting of a spurious liquor racket in Lalitpur.
The Madhya Pradesh government had also officially circulated the same information to the media, referring to the suspected Lalitpur connection in the tragedy.
(IANS)
