Annamayya (Andhra Pradesh): Two software engineers from Annamayya district died after allegedly choking on food following heavy alcohol consumption, police said on Wednesday.
The deceased have been identified as Mani Kumar, aged 35, and Pushparaj, aged 27. According to police, the two met four friends from their native village on January 17 and consumed beer together for several hours.
Rayachoti Deputy Superintendent of Police Krishna Mohan said the group had purchased 19 beer cans and consumed them between 3.30 pm and 7.30 pm. During this period, Kumar reportedly drank around six cans of beer, while Pushparaj consumed nearly five.
While returning home later in the evening, Kumar suddenly collapsed and complained of severe breathing difficulty. His friends immediately rushed him to a nearby hospital, where doctors declared him dead. Pushparaj’s condition also deteriorated, and he died later around 10 pm, the DSP said.
Preliminary investigation suggests that Kumar had already consumed alcohol prior to joining the group. Police believe excessive alcohol intake combined with food getting lodged in the throat may have caused respiratory distress, leading to the deaths.
On January 18, Kumar’s father, Narasimha, filed a complaint stating that the cause of death was unclear. Based on this, police registered a case under Section 194 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS).
The bodies were sent for post-mortem examination. Samples from the beer cans consumed by the group were also sent for laboratory testing, which confirmed that there were no impurities in the alcohol, police said. Blood and other biological samples of the deceased have been forwarded for further analysis to determine the exact cause of death.
