Three teenage boys were admitted to the JIPMER Hospital in Puducherry on the night of Thursday, June 3, after consuming palm wine. The boys, who are from Kullanchavadi village of Tamil Nadu’s Cuddalore district, were admitted to the hospital for food poisoning, after they complained of stomach pain. District police have arrested the man responsible for providing the liquor to the minors.
According to the police, the three boys are aged 15, 16 and 17 years respectively, and are high school students studying in Puliyur village in Cuddalore district. Speaking to TNM, an official with the Cuddalore police department said, “At 3 pm on Thursday, the teenagers had gone to play cricket near the village, during which time they seem to have consumed palm wine, which was given to them. At 6 pm, the boys developed severe stomach pain and were taken to a hospital in Cuddalore, and later referred to JIPMER Hospital in Puducherry.”
The boys were not forced to consume the liquor, police say. “After investigation, one Boopalan of the same village has been arrested by Kullanchavadi police. Through an inquiry, it was found out that Boopalan had been brewing the distilled alcoholic drink and had also supplied it to the teenage boys. The health conditions of boys are currently stable,” added the official.
Meanwhile, as per Cuddalore police department officials, 287 cases involving the brewing and peddling of country liquor have been registered in the district between May 20 and June 4. About 298 persons have been arrested in regard to these cases, and 23 vehicles have been seized, officials told TNM. In the same time period, police have seized 2,353 litres of ID arrack, 1,285 liters of F Wash, 750 liters of Indian-made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) and 52 liters of toddy in Cuddalore district.