The owner of a private chemical firm dealing in methanol was among three persons arrested by the Tamil Nadu police from Puducherry and Chennai on Wednesday in connection with the hooch tragedy that killed 21 persons in the state, police said, adding that it was invoking the charge of murder against all 13 accused persons.

Of the 21 people that died in Tamil Nadu's Villupuram and Chengalpattu districts earlier this week after consuming spurious liquor, 13 belonged to Ekkiyarkuppam at Marakkanam in Villupuram, which borders Puducherry.

The chemical sourced from the Chennai individual was made available to local sellers in both Marakkanam in Villupuram district and Chithamur in Chengalpattu district, police said, adding that the force quickly swung into action to seize a large quantity of methanol -- which helped prevent more loss of lives.

As a follow-up action, district police chiefs and city commissioners of police have been asked to verify the methanol stocks in 11 manufacturing units and 71 other plants that use the chemical, a release from the police headquarters in Chennai said.

On Tuesday, the state police had said methanol, an organic chemical, was procured from Puducherry by various persons and was used to brew the spurious liquor. This light, volatile, colourless and flammable liquid is used for industrial purposes. Methanol has the odour of alcohol.

On Wednesday, Puducherry-based Elumalai and Barakathullah were arrested by Villupuram police for allegedly supplying methanol to local sellers in Tamil Nadu, police said. One more person, identified as Ilaya Nambi, was picked up from Chennai. Ilaya Nambi, who owns a chemical company in Chennai, had sold 1,200 litres of methanol to Elumalai and Barakathullah for Rs 66,000 in the "black market" and a person named Viji had played a key role in transporting them to both places. He has also been arrested.

Of the 1,200 litres, 5 litres were sold in Marakkanam and 3 litres in Chithamur but the police seized the remaining 1,192 litres of methanol, the release said, adding that this helped prevent a bigger tragedy.

Since the methanol was potent enough to kill humans, the cases filed in the respective stations are being altered to include murder (Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code) against all 13 arrested persons, including those nabbed on Wednesday, the release added.

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