Toll in suspected hooch tragedies in Bihar rises to 25

West Champaran and Gopalganj have recorded 14 and 11 deaths respectively in last four days, an official said.

The death toll in two suspected spurious liquor consumption cases from Bihar, where total prohibition is in place, climbed to 25 on Friday with seven fresh casualties-- five from West Champaran and two from Gopalganj districts. At least 23 people have been arrested, five have been detained in both the cases and two policemen from each district have been suspended, police said.

A massive search operation was launched in the area to trace the dens selling hooch. (Representative image)

“We are waiting for the post-mortem report to reach any conclusion. Prima facie, these deaths appear to have occurred due to the consumption of poisonous substances,” West Champaran’s superintendent of police (SP) Upendra Nath Verma said. Verma confirmed five more deaths in the district took place since Thursday.

West Champaran and Gopalganj have recorded 14 and 11 deaths respectively in last four days, an official said.

Verma added that nine others who had taken ill after consumption of alleged toxic hooch in the Telhwa panchayat of the district were undergoing treatment. In Gopalganj’s Kushar village, four people were under treatment for severe illness due to consumption of suspected illicit hooch.

Police have registered a case and a local station house officer (SHO) and one chowkidar have been suspended in West Champaran following the incident, the SP said. Verma said three persons have been arrested and five others were detained for questioning.

West Champaran district magistrate Kundan Kumar said, “Medical teams have been deployed for check up and raids are on to arrest the accused.”

Chief minister Nitish Kumar, on Friday, warned of strict action against those violating prohibition in the state. “We will take action. Some people are doing bad work by making spurious liquor. Raids are on and I am going to review the entire scenario...,” said Kumar.