Main accused in Madhya Pradesh hooch tragedy held after encounter in Sagar: Police
Ravi Lakhera is alleged to have been involved in manufacturing spurious liquor along with a licensed liquor contractor
On September 11, 2026, a key suspect in the Madhya Pradesh spurious liquor incident that resulted in 16 deaths was apprehended in Sagar district, according to police. Ravi Lakhera, 45, suffered a gunshot wound to his leg during an encounter with authorities in the Baraytha forest, roughly 40 kilometers from the district center. Two of his associates, who were riding alongside him in a motorcycle, escaped during the confrontation.
An Additional Superintendent of Police, Jayveer Bahdoriya, explained that the police had intercepted Lakhera in the forest, leading to a shootout. Lakhera is presently recuperating in a health facility in Banda, Uttar Pradesh. The accused is implicated in the production of counterfeit liquor in collaboration with licensed liquor vendor Manish Lodhi, also known as Yashwant Singh Lodhi, which was subsequently circulated via peddlers in Sagar district.
The illicit liquor resulted in 16 fatalities and left 32 others receiving medical treatment in diverse hospitals. Out of the 30 individuals listed as suspects, 16 have been apprehended, and one remains in custody. Lakhera, who resides in Gangapuram Colony in Uttar Pradesh's Lalitpur, shares a considerable border with Sagar district.
He has around 25 criminal charges pending against him in Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and other regions, primarily under the Excise Act. Lakhera, originally from Mahoba district in Uttar Pradesh, is reported to be proficient in liquor manufacturing and procuring materials for its production, and to have overseen a team responsible for creating counterfeit liquor.
The Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, Mohan Yadav, has mandated an independent examination into the hooch fatalities, while the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has accused the Madhya Pradesh government of protecting the liquor underworld and queried the earlier assertion by the Sagar superintendent of police that the counterfeit liquor was sourced from Lalitpur.
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