Hyderabad: The Telangana Excise Department has suspended Balanagar Excise SHO Venukumar amid cases of adulterated toddy poisoning that led to the hospitalisation of at least 51 people in Hyderabad and seven deaths on Friday, July 11.
A probe is underway to ascertain the role of others in the department, reported Eenadu.
Of the total, 34 patients are receiving treatment at the Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS), with the RMO confirming seven deaths and preparations underway to keep beds ready to meet the possible increase in the influx of affected people.
Eleven have been hospitalised in Gandhi Hospital, while the remaining are undergoing treatment in private hospitals. Two of the affected persons succumbed late on Thursday, bringing the toll to seven. One of them succumbed in a hospital in Nagarkurnool.
Special teams of doctors have been deployed at both NIMS and Gandhi Hospital for the treatment of the affected. State Health Minister Damodar Raja Narasimha visited NIMS to call on the affected. Six of those hospitalised at NIMS were on dialysis.
Four bodies were handed over to their relatives after autopsy at Gandhi Hospital. According to officials, the symptoms suggest the presence of chemical adulterants in the toddy.
Methanol or chloral hydrate is suspected to have been mixed. Alprazolam may have been mixed in as well. The authorities were waiting for the toxicology report of the samples sent to the lab from the seized toddy at a few outlets.
The affected people had consumed toddy on July 6 and 7 in Kukatpally and surrounding areas. The authorities came to know about this on July 8 when the victims approached hospitals with symptoms like diarrhoea, low blood pressure, dizziness and fatigue.
