Madhya Pradesh: Major action in Sagar spurious liquor case; Manish Lodhi, carrying a ₹30,000 reward, injured in encounter.

Madhya Pradesh: Major action in Sagar spurious liquor case; Manish Lodhi, carrying a ₹30,000 reward, injured in encounter.

The police have taken significant action regarding the Sagar spurious liquor tragedy in Madhya Pradesh. A brief encounter took place between the police and the prime accused, Manish Lodhi (alias Yashwant Thakur)—who had been absconding in connection with the deaths of 20 people. According to the police, the accused opened fire on the police team near the Noniya-Sesai Road valley; in the ensuing retaliatory fire, Manish Lodhi was shot in the leg. His associate, Ashish Sahu, was also injured. The police recovered two country-made pistols, five rounds of ammunition, and a baseball bat from the scene. Both injured individuals are currently undergoing treatment at a hospital. A reward of ₹30,000 had been announced for Manish Lodhi. More than 35 accused have been arrested so far in the Sagar liquor case. The police are now investigating the entire liquor network, and the search for other absconding accused continues.