Four employees of the Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (Tasmac) retail outlet on South East Rampart Road in Thanjavur were suspended on Monday, May 22, 2023, in the wake of two persons dying after consuming ‘cyanide-laced’ liquor on Sunday. Meanwhile, Senthil, the bar owner, and Kamaraj, the bartender, were arrested in connection with the case.
According to official sources, the retail outlet is located near the bar where the victims Kuppusamy, 68, and Vivek, 36, of Thanjavur, bought and consumed the liquor that had been reportedly ‘laced with cyanide’ on Sunday. Investigations by the Thanjavur East police revealed that the employees of the Tasmac outlet had supplied the liquor bottles to the bar management two to three hours before the shop opened for business on the day.
Though the Tasmac officials divulged the names of the suspended employees as Muruganandam, manager, and Thirunavukkarasu, Sathyaseelan and Balu, all three worked as salesmen, they refused to respond when asked how the product got ‘laced with cyanide’, stating that the matter was still being investigated by the police.
