19 die after consuming illicit liquor in Nagaland; 3,000 bottles seized

At least 19 people have died allegedly after drinking spurious liquor in two Nagaland districts in as many days, with police forming a team to trace the supply chain of suspected adulterated liquor in the state and seizing almost 3,000 bottles.

It is worth noting that a prohibition law has been in place in Nagaland since 1990.

Police said Mokokchung district reported eight deaths and Tuensang district 11 over the past two days following the consumption of suspected illicit liquor, news agency PTI reported.

A Special Investigation Team (SIT), headed by Additional Superintendent of Police I Bunglang Chang, has been constituted to investigate the deaths and trace the source and supply chain of the suspected adulterated liquor, Senior Superintendent of Police, Vesupra Kezo, told the news agency on Saturday.

He said that the samples have been sent to Guwahati for forensic examination to ascertain the cause of the deaths.

"We have obtained some leads, but it is too premature to disclose details," the officer added.

The police action

Following the deaths, the Nagaland police conducted multiple raids and have arrested 19 people so far in connection with the case. The cops have also seized close to 3,000 bottles of liquor.

The cops have issued an advisory urging people to refrain from consuming unidentified, unlabelled, or suspected illicit liquor.

The advisory also urged anyone developing symptoms such as dizziness, blurred vision, breathing difficulties or loss of consciousness after consuming alcohol to seek medical care immediately.