Police arrest father-son duo who allegedly made the hooch that killed over 70 in UP, U'khand

A man and his son, who allegedly made the spurious liquor that claimed over 70 lives in Uttarakhand and neighbouring Uttar Pradesh, were arrested on Monday from Jhabrera area of Haridwar district, police said.

Hardev and Sukhwinder alias Sukha, residents of Punden village of Saharanpur district in Uttar Pradesh, were arrested by the Uttarkhand Police from near Ekbalpur Fatak in Jhabrera area of the district, SSP Haridwar Janmejay Khanduri told reporters in Roorkee.

The father-son duo has told the police during preliminary interrogation that they did not manufacture the liquor but bought a drum of it of nearly 400 litres from one Arjun who lives in Tejupur village in Bhagwanpur area, he said.

Police is now in searching for Arjun, the officer said.

Meanwhile, the state government has constituted an SIT under the supervision of IG Garhwal range Ajay Rautela to look into the incident.

The latest arrests take the total number of people held in connection with the tragedy to four.

Fakira and his son Sonu were arrested yesterday. They told police that they bought the illicit liquor from Hardev and Sukhwinder and sold it to people in neighbouring villages.