The death toll in the hooch tragedy in Bihar’s Samastipur district rose to nine on the second day on Sunday and the police arrested 13 people on charge of involvement in the making and sale of spurious liquor. Over 400 pouches of country liquor and bottles of foreign liquor were seized from them.
In the second such occurrence in Bihar in five months, seven people, including four women, died at Kashipur Masjid Mohalla on Saturday and two more succumbed on Sunday. Nearly 10 others are currently struggling for their lives at a Samastipur hospital. These people, who include employees of the railways and the Samastipur municipal council, had consumed liquor on Friday night, said sources.
Dr A. Devi Sahay of Samastipur government hospital said the victims had complained of acute stomach pain and were vomiting, with stench coming out of their mouths, while being admitted. Samastipur district magistrate Kundan Kumar said more arrests were likely and further action would be taken after autopsy reports of the dead people arrived. In September last year, five men had died in Jehanabad after consuming spurious liquor.