NEW DELHI, India: At least 21 people have died in northern India and six are in critical condition after drinking spurious liquor, police said Tuesday, updating the toll.
Hundreds of people die every year in India from drinking cheap alcohol made in backstreet distilleries.
To increase its potency, the liquor is often spiked with methanol that can cause blindness, liver damage and death.
The latest incident happened late on Monday after villagers in the Majitha area of Amritsar district, in Punjab, drank liquor laced with methanol.
Maninder Singh, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Amritsar Rural, said 21 people had died in five villages.
He said that the deaths were reported in Therwal, Marri, Patalpuri, Talwandi, and Bhangali villages in Amritsar, Firstpost reported.
News18 reported that the death toll is expected to rise further as many others remain critical. All the victims reportedly worked as labourers at local brick kilns.
Nine people have been arrested, Punjab police said in a post on X.
“Investigation is underway to uncover the entire modus operandi and to bring all involved to justice,” it said.
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said those responsible would be punished.
Last year, 53 people were killed after drinking moonshine in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu.
