Archive · 5 Aug 2026
Maharashtra CID Invokes MCOCA in Pune Hooch Tragedy Case
In a place called Maharashtra in India, some people died after drinking bad homemade alcohol.
The alcohol had a dangerous chemical in it called methanol, which can make people very sick.
Twenty-one people died, mostly in Pimpri Chinchwad and some in Pune.
A special police team called the CID arrested the people they believe made and sold this dangerous drink.
They also arrested people who sold the dangerous chemical to mix into the alcohol.
The police are using a very strong law called MCOCA to stop them.
MCOCA is a law used against organised criminal gangs that keep breaking the law.
The police say the main suspect bought the dangerous chemical online by pretending it was for making perfume.
Some police officers and government workers were also suspended for not stopping the bad alcohol from being sold.
The Maharashtra CID has invoked the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) against the accused in the Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad hooch tragedy case.
Suspected methanol-laced illicit liquor killed 21 people — 17 in the Phugewadi-Dapodi belt of Pimpri Chinchwad and four in Pune's Hadapsar area — between late May and early June.
Key accused Yogesh Ramchandra Vhankade allegedly bought bootleg liquor from Radheshyam Prajapati in Uruli Kanchan, mixed it with methanol, and supplied it across Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad.
The CID said MCOCA was invoked because the gang's alleged series of serious offences created fear and insecurity among people, and their activities continued despite criminal cases and preventive action.
Vhankade allegedly procured methanol via an online business-to-business platform by claiming it was for perfume manufacturing and using a fake Aadhaar identity; 26 government officials have been suspended in connection with the case.
- Who
- The Maharashtra Criminal Investigation Department (CID), which has arrested multiple accused including Yogesh Ramchandra Vhankade, Radheshyam Prajapati, and father-son duo Arun and Abhishek Choubey.
- What
- The CID invoked MCOCA, Maharashtra's organised crime law, in the probe into a hooch tragedy in which suspected methanol-laced illicit liquor killed 21 people.
- When
- The deaths occurred between the last week of May and the first week of June; the CID announced the MCOCA invocation after examining evidence and criminal records of the accused.
- Where
- Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad in Maharashtra — mainly the Phugewadi-Dapodi belt and Hadapsar, with bootleg liquor sourced from Uruli Kanchan.
- Why
- The CID said the accused gang was allegedly involved in a series of serious offences that created fear and insecurity among people in Pune district, and their activities continued despite criminal cases and preventive action; the move aims to dismantle the alleged organised crime syndicate.
- Deaths
- 21 (17 in the Phugewadi-Dapodi belt; 4 in Hadapsar)
- Law invoked
- Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA)
- Probe agency
- Maharashtra Criminal Investigation Department (CID)
- Key accused
- Yogesh Ramchandra Vhankade alias Sikandar Rathod; Radheshyam Prajapati; Arun and Abhishek Choubey
- Officials suspended
- 26
- Chemical involved
- Suspected methanol-laced illicit liquor
- Cases registered
- At Dapodi and Hadapsar police stations under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Maharashtra Prohibition Act
- Methanol procurement
- Online B2B platform, claimed for perfume manufacturing, using a fake Aadhaar identity