Indian Police Make Arrests in Bootleg Liquor Case
Posted: Sun Aug 02, 2020 5:43 am
Punjab Police Hardial Singh Mann (L) speaks to media at Tarn Taran, some 25 km from Amritsar, India, Aug. 1, 2020. At least 40 people have died in three Punjab's districts after reportedly drinking spurious liquor over two days, local media reported.
Indian police have arrested more than two dozen people in connection with the sale of tainted alcohol that has killed scores of people in the northern state of Punjab.
A senior officer told Reuters that police conducted more than 30 raids on Sunday. The raids began last week when the victims started dying.
Media accounts say more than 80 people have died from the illicit alcohol. However, Police Officer Rohan Lal told the Associated Press that 69 people have died from the bootleg liquor.
Deaths from illegally produced alcohol are a common occurrence in India because many people cannot afford to buy legally produced alcohol.