Chemical Lethality: Probe Suspects Fatal Methanol-Ethanol Mix-Up Behind Pune Hooch Tragedy That Claimed 16 Lives

A senior excise official, speaking on condition of anonymity, noted that Wankhede’s original intent was to buy rectified spirit (ethanol) to artificially dilute and expand his country liquor stock. Because both chemicals are entirely clear, colorless liquids with highly similar names, Wankhede who lacks formal education or technical chemical training—failed to realize he had ordered a lethal industrial poison.

Echoing this theory, a Nashik-based distillery owner explained that untrained bootleggers frequently confuse the two substances, falsely assuming they can use them interchangeably to increase the potency and volume of illicit alcohol.

Manufacturing and the Distribution Grid

The logistics of the illicit operation trace back to a centralized manufacturing hub, which was subsequently fractured into localized retail networks:

Preliminary investigations indicate the base illicit liquor was brewed at Uruli Kanchan by Radheshyam Prajapati, a suspected repeat offender with a history of running illegal distillation units. The raw liquor was handed over to Wankhede, who allegedly spiked the mixture with the procured methanol. State Excise Commissioner Atul Kanade confirmed that Wankhede filled 24 industrial drums (roughly 35 liters each) with the poisonous blend for transit. The laced product was distributed across Hadapsar, Chaturshringi, Dapodi, and Kondhwa. In Phugewadi, the network ran through Karnail Singh Virk and his son, Gurmangat Singh Virk, who used their private residence as a tactical base to feed the poison to local street vendors.

Excise officials arrested Wankhede on Thursday and successfully intercepted and seized 18 of the 24 toxic drums before they could be opened for retail sale, preventing a much larger death toll.

Forged Licenses and Regulatory Loops

As the focus shifts to how a restricted industrial chemical was obtained by an unauthorized individual, investigators have uncovered major compliance breaches. Wankhede reportedly bypassed supplier scrutiny by falsely claiming the chemical was a raw material raw ingredient for his independent perfume business.

Under the Poisons Act, the sale, tracking, and storage of methanol are strictly regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Girish Hukare, Joint Commissioner, FDA Pune: “Methanol cannot legally be sold without rigorous physical verification of the purchaser. Any violation of these protocols attracts mandatory imprisonment ranging from six months to one year under the statutory provisions of the Poisons Act.”