At least seven people have died in the last three days allegedly after consuming illicit liquor in Saran district of Bihar which is a dry state, a senior police officer said on Saturday.
The incident occurred after 11 people died and several others fell ill after drinking toxic liquor in the same district last week.
"Seven people have so far died in Masudhi area since August 10. Villagers claim that the deceased consumed spurious liquor. The exact cause of death can only be ascertained after getting post-mortem examination reports," Superintendent of Police Santosh Kumar said.
Searches are being conducted to nab the suspected bootleggers, the senior police officer said.
The incident of last week had happened in Phulwariya panchayat falling under Maker police station. The SHO of the police station and the local chowkidar have been suspended.
The sale and consumption of alcohol have been banned in Bihar since April 2016. However, since November last year, the state reported a number of hooch tragedies in which more than 60 people have died.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
3 Dead In Bihar After Allegedly Consuming Toxic Liquor: Cops Bihar Toxic Liquor Deaths Rise To 31 Bihar Toxic Liquor Deaths Rise To 27 As 1 More Dies In Motihari: Police 11 Dead, Many Critical In Jaipur Fire As 2 Trucks Collide Outside Petrol Pump Atul Subhash's Mother Goes To Top Court For 4-Year-Old Grandson's Custody 52 kg Gold, Rs 10 Crore Cash Found In Abandoned Innova In Bhopal Jungle "Lineage Of Those Who Desecrated Temples Will Be Destroyed": Yogi Adityanath Fact Check: Girl Harassed Inside Delhi Bus? No, Video Is Scripted Explained: Why Democrats Are Calling Elon Musk "President Musk" Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.