By IANS
Karachi : At least 41 people have died after consuming toxic illicit liquor in this southern Pakistani port city. Family members of those who died are reportedly receiving threats from liquor manufacturers not to disclose the identity of the shops.
Mass deaths due to hooch consumption among Karachi’s poor people is common, but especially so during the holy month of Ramadan. The wine shops are closed during Ramadan, forcing alcoholics or non-Muslims to buy substandard drinks from bootleggers who take advantage of the dry spell.
The Daily Times reported that the victims of Thursday’s tragedy were residents of the Railway Colony here. The settlement has mostly poor Christians with a smattering of Hindus.
Eleven more people died Saturday after consuming the toxic home-made alcohol, DPA quoted officials as saying.
“We can confirm 28 deaths so far, while seven more affected people are still in critical condition,” Semin Jamali, medical officer at Jinnah hospital told DPA.
Thirteen people died in another civil hospital, where 17 casualties were brought late Thursday and early Friday from five different districts of the city after apparently imbibing from the same batch of ‘kupi’ – a cheap methanol-based spirit commonly sold on the black market.
More deaths are feared as 11 more are said to be in critical condition.
Authorities have arrested six people, including the manufacturers and suppliers of the toxic liquor. Two gallons of kupi were seized from the suspects.
“On Friday morning a complete stranger came to my house and threatened me with dire consequences if I disclosed his name or address, even though I didn’t know him at all,” the younger brother of one of the victims told Daily Times from his house in Camp City Railway Colony.
The shops put up signs ‘Only for non-Muslims’ above their shops. But one Hindu victim’s son explained that although alcohol is prohibited in Islam, “Wine shop owners mostly sell to Muslims and write Hindu names on the receipts to justify their sales.”