A chemical engineer who allegedly sold the methanol that killed 22 people in Villupuram and Chengalpattu districts was taken into custody late on Tuesday.
According to police sources, a special team investigating the incident apprehended Ellian Nambi, an engineer working in a private company at Vanagaram here. He admitted to have sold 600 litres of methanol, in three barrels, to an agent in Puducherry who supplied it to local arrack-sellers through sub-agents. Acting on his inputs, an alert was issued to Superintendents of Police in the northern districts of the State. They conducted storming operations in vulnerable areas and seized a large quantity of the methanol (purchased from the chemical engineer), which was kept ready for sale in sachets and cans.
