Kingpin on 14 day remand

Metropolitan magistrate BT Dave on Friday sent Harishankar Kahar alias Hariom to 14-day police remand. The Ahmedabad city crime branch produced Hariom before the metropolitan court late on Friday night.

Hariom had been arrested by the investigating agency in connection with the hooch tragedy that has claimed more than 100 lives. A source in the police said that the crime branch had sought his remand for 14 days.

Seeking remand, officials of crime branch submitted that Hariom had been running the liquor business for many years and was believed to have supplied the hooch to retailers, leading to the death of many people. Hariom had earlier been in jail under the PASA and had been released in February this year.

Meanwhile, the police conducted raids for hooch at 639 places and rounded up 596 people in connection with the sale of the same. The police also arrested nine bootleggers in connection with the case.