Chandigarh: The death toll due to the suspected consumption of spurious liquor in Punjab’s Sangrur district has risen to 21. According to the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) of Sangrur, at least 40 people were admitted to the hospital after consuming spurious liquor that contained ethanol.
On March 20, four people died allegedly after consuming spurious liquor and some were hospitalised. The next day, four more people succumbed during treatment at Patiala’s Rajindra Hospital. In addition, eight people died on March 22, and five people died on the next day, taking the total death toll to 21.
Police said they have arrested two more people. With this, a total of six people have been nabbed in connection with the case.
During interrogation, the arrested accused informed the police that the toxic liquor was being prepared in a house. After receiving the information, the police raided the house and recovered 200 litres of ethanol, a kind of toxic chemical.
Meanwhile, the Punjab government has constituted a "high-level" Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the incident.