Thanjavur liquor deaths: police suspect cyanide may have been mixed to kill one of the victims
The Hindu
A day after two persons died due to suspected cyanide poisoning after consuming liquor at a licensed Tasmac bar in Thanjavur, police sources claimed it could have been a case of murder, targeting 36-year-old cab driver Vivek, one of the victims.
A day after two persons died due to suspected cyanide poisoning after consuming liquor at a licensed Tasmac bar in Thanjavur, police sources claimed it could have been a case of murder, targeting 36-year-old cab driver Vivek, one of the victims.
While the source of the cyanide that was said to have been mixed with the liquor and the motive are under investigation, the sources said Vivek was the first to consume the “poison-laced” liquor.
It is suspected that the other victim, Kuppusamy, 68, a daily wager in a fish market, drank the leftover liquor from the bottle used by Vivek.
Key witness
A third person, to whom Vivek reportedly offered the liquor, did not consume it, and is now a key witness.
A forensic analysis of a sample of the leftover liquor confirmed the presence of cyanide, the sources said.
The police said a preliminary inquiry revealed that Vivek was in a relationship with a woman. They are probing if she or anyone related to her had conspired to murder him. One strong possibility was that the cyanide may have been sourced from a goldsmith, as it is used in the process of making jewellery, according to the police.