At least 19 people have died in Nagaland’s Mokokchung and Tuensang districts over the past two days after allegedly consuming suspected spurious liquor, officials said on Saturday.
A Special Investigation Team (SIT), headed by Additional Superintendent of Police Bunglang Chang, has been constituted to investigate the deaths and trace the source of the suspected adulterated liquor. Police have repeatedly advised people against consuming unidentified, unlabelled or suspected illicit liquor. The deaths prompted the state police to issue a red alert and urge people to refrain from consuming liquor from unknown or unauthorised sources.
Police have arrested 19 people in connection with the deaths and launched an investigation into the source and supply chain of the illicit alcohol. A police official in Kohima said eight deaths were reported in Mokokchung district and 11 in Tuensang district. Following the fatalities, police conducted raids at multiple locations and arrested 19 people. Nearly 3,000 bottles of liquor were also seized.
Earlier this month, at least nine people, including three members of a family, died at Tuensang Civil Hospital after allegedly consuming suspected spurious liquor.
