Archive · 20 Aug 2026
Gujarat Toxic Liquor Deaths Rise To Eight; 39 Treated
People in Bhavnagar, Gujarat, became seriously ill after drinking fake alcohol.
The number of people who died later rose to eight.
Thirty-nine others were being treated in hospitals.
Police said the alcohol was sold in bottles made to look like a popular brand.
Tests on blood samples from some victims found methanol, which can be very dangerous.
Investigators said some of the alcohol may have been made at a suspect’s house in Bhavnagar.
Police arrested 13 people in the later update and said one man named Raees was an alleged leader.
They are still trying to find where the ingredients, bottles and labels came from.
The reported death toll in Bhavnagar’s spurious-liquor case rose from seven to eight, while 39 people remained under treatment.
Police earlier said 12 bootleggers were detained; a later update said 13 accused had been arrested and remanded until August 31.
The State Monitoring Cell identified Raees, detained in Ujjain, as the alleged kingpin of the operation.
Investigators said blood samples showed methanol, and the liquor was allegedly produced at Gautam Solanki’s house using materials including ethanol and methanol.
The victims reportedly drank counterfeit bottles of a popular IMFL brand, while investigators examined supply routes involving Madhya Pradesh and Delhi.
- Who
- Eight people died and 39 were under treatment; police arrested 13 accused and named 21 people in the FIR.
- What
- A spurious-liquor case involving allegedly methanol-laced alcohol caused deaths and hospitalisations.
- When
- The death toll and treatment figures were reported on Thursday, August 20; authorities first received information on Tuesday evening.
- Where
- The incident began in Kharakadi village in Ghogha taluka, Bhavnagar district, with affected people also reported from other villages and Bhavnagar city.
- Why
- Investigators said victims consumed illicit alcohol in counterfeit IMFL bottles; authorities said the suspected operators appeared to have acted for financial gain.
Police Investigation
Unresolved Questions
Cause and production
Police Investigation
Investigators said the victims consumed counterfeit-bottled liquor containing methanol and other chemicals, allegedly produced at Gautam Solanki’s house.
Unresolved Questions
The investigation was still examining the precise sources of the raw materials, the production process and the people responsible.
Supply chain
Police Investigation
Police linked the suspected supply chain to Madhya Pradesh and said teams were also sent to Delhi to investigate raw-material sources.
Unresolved Questions
Authorities had not yet established where all the ingredients, bottles, forged labels and sealing equipment came from.
Suspected leadership
Police Investigation
The State Monitoring Cell described Raees, detained in Ujjain, as the alleged kingpin and said he played a key role in manufacturing the liquor.
Unresolved Questions
Police were still investigating Raees’s movements, contacts and suppliers, so the full structure of the operation remained under examination.
- Latest reported toll
- 8 dead and 39 people under treatment
- Arrests
- 13 accused arrested in the later update, with police custody ordered until August 31
- Earlier police figure
- 12 bootleggers had initially been detained
- FIR
- 21 people were named as accused
- Suspected chemical
- Methanol was found in blood samples from people who died
- Suspected production site
- Investigators said the spurious liquor was produced at Gautam Solanki’s house in Bhavnagar
- Investigation
- The State Monitoring Cell was investigating production, distribution, raw-material supplies, counterfeit labels and bottle-sealing equipment
