Gujarat hooch case: 42nd arrest made as Rajasthan man held for packaging role
Synopsis
The Bhavnagar hooch tragedy — which killed 13 people after methanol-laced liquor was sold in fake 'Royal Stag' bottles — has now pulled in a 22-year-old from Rajasthan's Bhilwara district as the 42nd arrest. His alleged role: sourcing the very cardboard boxes, glass bottles, and stickers used to disguise the deadly brew. The supply chain now spans Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan.
Key Takeaways
Ladulal alias Ganesh Kharol , 22, of Bhilwara district, Rajasthan , was arrested on 30 September in the Bhavnagar methanol liquor case.
His arrest brings total arrests in the case to 42 , with 40 currently in judicial custody.
Kharol is allegedly linked to sourcing packaging materials — bottles, caps, boxes, stickers — used to disguise the toxic liquor.
The hooch tragedy in August killed 13 people and affected more than 60 in Bhavnagar's Vartej area.
Forensic tests found 38.59% methanol in the seized liquor, packaged in fake 'Royal Stag' brand bottles.
The investigation, led by the Gujarat SMC , has traced the supply chain across Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan .
Gujarat Police's State Monitoring Cell (SMC) has arrested a 22-year-old Rajasthan resident in connection with the methanol-laced liquor deaths in Bhavnagar district, taking the total number of arrests in the case to 42, police said on Thursday, 1 October 2026. The accused was nabbed with the assistance of the Rajasthan Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS).
Who Was Arrested and How
The latest accused has been identified as Ladulal alias Ganesh Kharol, a resident of Mahendragarh village under the Karoi police station area in Bhilwara district, Rajasthan. He was apprehended on 30 September at 6:45 pm in a joint operation with the Rajasthan ATS. A court has granted his police custody remand until 8 October.
According to investigators, Kharol was allegedly involved in arranging cardboard boxes, empty glass bottles, bottle caps, stickers, and other materials used to package the illicit liquor, and in organising their transport from different locations to Bhavnagar. Police further allege that he was in contact with the purported main accused, Gautam Solanki, and that the two had decided to manufacture the liquor at Solanki's residence.
The Bhavnagar Hooch Tragedy: Background
The case stems from the consumption of methanol-laced liquor in the Vartej area of Bhavnagar district in August, which resulted in 13 deaths and affected more than 60 people, according to reports at the time. Initial deaths were registered as accidental, but subsequent investigation established a link to the poisonous liquor.
Forensic analysis of a seized bottle found 38.59% methanol and 0.94% ethanol — a dangerously high concentration of the industrial solvent that causes blindness and organ failure even in small doses. The toxic liquor was reportedly packaged in bottles bearing the labels of the popular Indian-made foreign liquor brand 'Royal Stag', designed to deceive buyers about its contents.
The Investigation and Legal Proceedings
A case was registered at Vartej police station against 21 people under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita-2023 and Gujarat's Prohibition Act. The probe was subsequently handed to the State Monitoring Cell on the directions of Director General of Police G.S. Malik.
Investigators have since widened the scope beyond the initial FIR to trace the full supply chain — covering chemical procurement, packaging material sourcing, and distribution. Earlier findings had linked the network to individuals from Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh; the latest arrest extends that trail to Rajasthan.
Kharol's Alleged Role and Flight
Police allege that after the deaths came to light, Kharol fled Gujarat and, while fleeing, contacted other accused persons and instructed them to destroy mobile phones and other potential evidence. Investigators also allege that he was aware of the liquor manufacturing process and participated in it for financial gain.
Of the 42 people now arrested, 40 are in judicial custody and one is in police custody, while Kharol himself remains on police remand until 8 October, according to the State Monitoring Cell.
What Happens Next
The State Monitoring Cell says it is continuing to probe the procurement and distribution network behind the tragedy. With the supply chain now confirmed to span at least three states, authorities are expected to examine further inter-state linkages. The case underscores the persistent challenge of enforcing prohibition in Gujarat and disrupting organised illicit liquor networks that exploit packaging fraud to evade detection.
Point of View
Labels, and caps to mimic a recognisable IMFL brand was not improvised but planned. This level of supply-chain sophistication makes the 'accidental death' classification of early victims look like a systemic failure of first-response protocol. Gujarat's prohibition regime, rather than eliminating demand, appears to have created a profitable vacuum for exactly this kind of organised, multi-state operation. Unless enforcement targets the chemical supply side — methanol is an industrial solvent with legitimate trade routes — repeat tragedies remain a near-certainty.
NationPress
2 Oct 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Bhavnagar hooch case?
The Bhavnagar hooch case refers to the deaths of at least 13 people in Gujarat's Bhavnagar district in August after they consumed methanol-laced illicit liquor in the Vartej area. More than 60 people were affected in total, and forensic tests found 38.59% methanol in seized bottles, which were disguised with fake 'Royal Stag' labels.
Who is Ladulal alias Ganesh Kharol and why was he arrested?
Ladulal alias Ganesh Kharol is a 22-year-old resident of Bhilwara district in Rajasthan, arrested on 30 September in connection with the Bhavnagar hooch case. Police allege he arranged cardboard boxes, empty glass bottles, bottle caps, and stickers used to package the toxic liquor, and organised their transport to Bhavnagar.
How many people have been arrested in the Bhavnagar hooch case so far?
A total of 42 people have been arrested as of 1 October 2026. Of these, 40 are in judicial custody, one is in police custody, and the latest accused, Kharol, has been remanded to police custody until 8 October.
Which states are linked to the Bhavnagar hooch supply chain?
Investigators have traced the supply chain across at least three states — Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan. Earlier arrests linked the network to individuals from Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh, while the latest arrest extends the trail to Rajasthan's Bhilwara district.
What laws have been invoked in the Bhavnagar hooch case?
A case was registered at Vartej police station under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita-2023 and Gujarat's Prohibition Act, including Sections 105, 123, 61(2), 3(5), 274, 275, 345(3), and 349 of the BNS-2023, and Sections 65(A)(B)(D)(E)(F), 65A(2), 65A(3), 67(1)A, 81, and 83 of the Prohibition Act.
