Spurious liquor kills six in Balurghat

Statesman News Service

MALDA, Feb. 27: Six persons have died and at least nine fallen ill after consuming spurious foreign liquor at a registered bar in Balurghat.According to police, after consuming spurious liquor at a bar on Sunday, a large number of people fell ill. "Since yesterday, six of them have died," the police, said.The South Dinajpur police and the state excise officials have launched a joint inquiry against the owners of Lokenath Bar and Restaurant, who had managed license from the government one-and-a-half-year ago. The police have arrested the wives of the two owners of the bar. The two accused, however, managed to escape. The South Dinajpur SP, Mr KK Mallick, said: "We raided the house of the bar owners today and found that they were producing spurious foreign liquor. We have also seized some fake foreign liquor bottles, fake level of different branded liquor and other low quality liquor bottles from the owners' house. We are confident that they were producing and selling fake liquor." According to him, on Sunday a group of people had gone to the bar and consumed liquor there. On Monday, a few of them was admitted to the Balurghat hospital.Two persons died at the hospital yesterday. The police had no knowledge about the cause of the death. Hence, it was taken as an unnatural death. The matter came to light when two more patients died this morning at the hospital. After an investigation, the police came to know that these people had consumed liquor at the bar on Sunday night. The SP said while six persons have been referred to the North Bengal Medical College and Hospital, three are undergoing treatment at the Balurghat hospital currently. The South Dinajpur district administration is planning to freeze the bank accounts of the accused owners of the bar, besides attaching their properties.