Three men die in Visakhapatnam after consuming surgical spirit

In a tragic turn of events, three men, residents of Kasimkota, Anakapalle of Visakhapatnam district, died after consuming surgical spirit. Police reports state that a group of men, identified as Kunisetti Anand (55), Vadisala Nukaraju (61), Pethakamsetti Apparao (50), V Manikyam (62), V Satyarao and Sathibabu met on Saturday night for a get-together. These group of men, who work as daily wage labourers, allegedly consumed the spirit, assuming it would give them the same effect as alcohol.

Of the deceased, Kunisetti Anand was found to be living alone, with his family back in West Bengal. The victim was working at a pharma manufacturing unit in Paravada Mandal. Assuming that the surgical spirit manufactured at the unit would be more potent than alcohol, the 55-year-old stole 2.25 litres of surgical spirit on Saturday to share with his friends in Visakhapatnam district. The group consumed the spirit at Anand’s residence and proceeded home for the night. The next morning, Anand and Nukaraju complained of burning sensation in their stomach and collapsed immediately. Pethakamsetti Apparao was taken to Visakhapatnam’s King George Hospital (KGH) where he breathed his last. The other men in the group were reported to be severely ill, and are undergoing treatment at NTR Hospital in Anakapalle.

The police registered a case under Section 174 of the CrPC pertaining to death due to consumption of unknown liquid. An empty bottle which was used to sneak the spirit from the pharma unit and a packet of biryani were found at the scene. Speaking about the details of the case, Anakapalle (Rural) Circle Inspector, Narasimha Rao stated that the men died due to excessive consumption of spirit. Stating that their previous habit of consuming Saara could have been an underlying cause that added to their ill health, the police stated that a clear picture can be given only after receiving the post-mortem report.