Hooch kingpin, three women bootleggers held

The Ahmedabad crime branch on Sunday arrested Yogendra alias Daddu Chhara, alleged to be a kingpin of the city's illicit hooch racket. The spurious liquor that caused the death of more than 150 people recently was allegedly supplied by Chhara and some other bootleggers. 

Crime branch sleuths also arrested three women - Lata Chunara, Kantaben Vaghela and Kantaben Rathod - in this connection. Chhara, who is from Indore, currently lives in Mahajanwas. He was arrested from Naroda Patia at around 2:30pm.  Chhara's name had come up during the police interrogation of Harishankar Kahar who was arrested on July 9. On the basis of the information provided by Kahar, police raided a place in Naroda Patia on Sunday and nabbed Chhara.

“We had created separate teams to arrest Chhara who had supplied spurious liquor to Kantodiavaas,” ACP crime branch, Usha Rada said.

According to the police, Chhara used to purchase illicit liquor from Vinod Dagli, and sell it to petty agents such as Lataben Chunnara and Arvind Solanki. Incidentally, Solanki also died after consuming the toxic hooch.

“Dagli is one of the main bootleggers of Mahemdabad,” Rada said. “He had delivered the spurious liquor to Chhara, who gave 700 litres to Kahar and 400 litres to Arvind Solanki in Kantodiavaas.” Kantaben Vaghela and Kantaben Rathod used to purchase liquor from Hariom Kahar alias Haria.

A police source said Chhara had come to Ahmedabad from Indore about 10 years back. He had been in contact with Dagli for the past six years. Chhara used to supply liquor from Mahemdabad. Later, however, he shifted to the Odhav area.