Pune, May 31 -- Investigators probing Pune and neighbouring Pimpri Chinchwad's hooch tragedy suspect that a fatal mix-up between methanol and ethanol may have triggered one of the region's deadliest incidents of illicit liquor poisoning that has claimed 16 lives till now. State excise department officials said prime accused Yogesh Wankhede allegedly procured methanol instead of ethanol as he lacked both formal education and technical knowledge of chemicals. "There is a strong possibility that he did not understand the difference between the two chemicals, which may have led to this tragedy," an official said. Girish Hukare, joint commissioner, FDA Pune, said, "Methanol cannot be sold without verification of the purchaser. Violations can attract imprisonment ranging from six months to one year under the provisions of the Poisons Act." FDA officials said methanol can legally be supplied to laboratories, educational institutions and industrial units, but only after verification of the purchaser's credentials and documentation. "Prima facie, it appears the accused may have used forged documents while purchasing the chemical...," an FDA official said. Ethanol and methanol are two types of alcohol. Ethanol is the safe, consumable one found in alcoholic beverages. Methanol, on the other hand, is a highly toxic industrial chemical used in solvents, fuels, and manufacturing. The Maharashtra government has suspended 22 police and excise department personnel for not acting against the illegal liquor trade. Meanwhile, the state Food and Drug Administration has seized nearly 5,929 kg of toxic methanol from a Bhiwandi-based company, Rex International, which allegedly supplied the chemical to bootleggers involved in making spurious alcohol that led to the death of 16 people in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad, officials said....