KADAPA: Two more persons from Kadapa district died after allegedly consuming sanitiser. At least 16 have died till now in Prakasam district in the past couple of days due to consumption of sanitiser as it is cheap and easily available.
In Pendlimarri mandal of Kadapa district on Sunday, three persons consumed sanitiser as they could not get liquor. While Chennakesulu (42), a washerman by profession, died while undergoing treatment at RIMs, Kadapa on Sunday evening, P Obulesh (55) and Chenna Reddy alias Bhima Reddy (58), died while undergoing treatment on Monday morning.
Pendlimarri sub-inspector RV Konda Reddy, who registered a case, said post-mortem on Chenna Reddy and Obulesu have been performed and the blood samples have been sent to a forensic lab in Kurnool.
Meanwhile, Excise Commissioner Srinivasulu who is investigating the deaths, interacting with mediapersons, said that they took two pharmacy shop owners into custody for questioning.
According to sources, those addicted to liquor and other such stupor-inducing drugs are secretly consuming sanitiser to get the kick, risking their lives. Particularly such incidents were reported from Machupalle bus stand, old bus stand and railway station road. Some people are so habituated that if they did not get their daily dose of liquor, they start shivering and to overcome it, they are risking their lives.
Inform Dial 100
Police said they are yet to ascertain the reasons behind the deaths and asked people to inform police on Dial 100 or to the nearest police station about any individual consuming spirit or sanitiser. Such persons will be shifted to de-addiction centres and then to rehabilitation centres.