The Andhra Pradesh government went on damage control mode on Tuesday and imposed a temporary ban on nine brands of liquor that are suspected to have caused the death of five persons at Swarna Bar in Vijayawada on Monday.
The spurious liquor also caused serious ill-health to about 20 people and five of them are battling for life in critical condition. The government also ordered the closure of wine shops for a day till Wednesday throughout AP.
The brands that were banned include Original Choice batch number 120, Royal Stag 26, Officer's Choice, DSP, AAB, McDowel's whisky and brandy, Bagpiper.
Excise officials have launched a massive inspection drive across AP to find spurious liquor in wine shops and bars.
Meanwhile, the police booked cases under sections 304 and 328 of IPC on five persons including the bar manager Sharath Chandra and the proprietors Malladi Tripurasundari, Kavuri Poornachandra Sharma, Lakshmi Saraswathi and ex-MLA Malladi Vishnu.
DGP Ramudu said the investigation is going on at a fast pace and all the culprits behind the incident will be dealt with sternly.
Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu visited the hospital and consoled the families of the dead and those undergoing treatment after consuming spurious liquor.
