Thanjavur deaths: Not spurious liquor, cyanide poisoning, say cops

In a bizarre turn of events, days after two men in Tamil Nadu’s Thanjavur district died after consuming alcohol, police said that the deaths occurred due to cyanide mixed into the liquor. Speaking at a press conference, Thanjavur district collector Dinesh Ponraj Oliver and Thanjavur Superintendent of Police (SP) Ashish Rawat said, “The forensic report has revealed that there were no traces of methanol in the viscera samples taken from both the individuals. The results instead show that the two men died from cyanide poisoning. Whether these were suicides or murders is being also being investigated.”

On Sunday, May 21, Kuppusamy (68) died soon after consuming alcohol at an illegal bar attached to a TASMAC outlet in Keezhavasal in Thanjavur. A second man, Vivek (36), who shared the liquor with Kuppusamy also passed away hours after being hospitalised. Initial reports in The Hindu, published the following day, said that the police at first suspected that the intended victim had been Vivek. At present, it is unclear if the deaths were by suicide or murders.

The district collector also said, “It is very clear from the forensic report that the deaths were due to cyanide poisoning. There is a goldsmith’s shop near the bar. Goldsmiths use cyanide in their work, so we are investigating this angle too.”

It is also unclear if Vivek and Kuppusamy previously knew each other or if they just happened to drink together but according to the collector, the duo’s workplaces were close to each other’s. He further said that no one else who drank at the bar the same day had been affected.

The collector additionally said that according to the ongoing police investigation, Vivek had recently separated from his wife. According to police sources who reportedly spoke to IANS, Vivek had been in an extra-marital relationship.

Speaking at the same press conference, SP Ashish Rawat said that for the time being an FIR under CrPC section 174 (Police to enquire and report on suicide) had been registered and that statements have been taken from the bar owner who is currently in police custody. The SP also said that the bar has been sealed. “We are trying to establish the exact sequence of events from available surveillance footage. It is too premature to say anything else at the moment.”

The deaths of Kuppusamy and Vivek came in the wake of 23 deaths in Villupuram and Chengalpattu, all of which were due to methanol content in illicitly made liquor.