At least 10 people involved in the distribution of spurious sanitiser mixed with methanol that claimed at least 16 who consumed it in Prakasam district in Andhra Pradesh late in July were arrested on August 11.
People consumed hand sanitiser as an alternative to liquor, as regular shops were shut due to COVID-19-imposed lockdown in Kurichedu in Prakasam district in July and died.
The sanitiser named ‘Perfect Gold’ was made of toxic methanol instead of ethanol, Prakasam Superintendent of Police Siddharth Kaushal said.
A person named Sale Srinivas of Vikarabad district in Telangana manufactured the sanitiser illegally, along with his brother Siva Kumar, from a rented room in Hyderabad city and started selling it through various channels, the top cop said.
Another person identified as Kesav Agarwal distributed the spurious sanitiser and two other men, MD Dawood and MD Hazi Sab of Jeedimetla in Hyderabad, supplied methanol and other material for the manufacturing of the product.
‘Our SIT arrested these five persons. Later, owners of five medical shops in Kurichedu were also arrested for selling the spurious sanitiser, exhibiting culpable negligence,’ the cop said.
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