Sonipat (Haryana): As many as 27 people have lost their lives in the last four days in Haryana's Sonipat district, with many family members suspecting they died after consuming spurious liquor.
Family members of several deceased persons alleged that they died after consuming spurious liquor, adding that there was rampant sale of illicit liquor in the district.
Sandeep, the brother of a deceased, said his brother fell sick after consuming liquor on Sunday (November 1). "His health deteriorated and he died in hospital during treatment," he said.
The deaths came to light after the cremation grounds in the city reported a sudden spike in the number of bodies.
The cremation ground in the city's Mahlana Road, which used to get 3-4 bodies on an average daily, received as many as 17 bodies in the past two days. Eight of the 17 bodies were reportedly from the Indian colony, Mayur Vihar, and Shastri Colony of the city - the areas from where the suspicious deaths were reported.
After reports of the suspicious deaths came to light, police teams raided several locations in the colonies, and even recovered huge amount of illicit liquor from one shop.
Read: Spurious liquor claims 14 lives in Madhya Pradesh's Ujjain
However, Sonipat Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Virender Singh confirmed only 20 suspicious deaths across Sonipat, and said that the police were informed about the deaths only through media reports.
He indicated that the police was busy with the Baroda bypolls, and hence the criminals might have got a chance to indulge in the illicit liquor business.
Singh said that the bodies have been sent for postmortem, and the exact cause of the deaths would only be clear based on the postmortem report.
Meanwhile, one alcoholic admitted on camera that he buys illicit liquor from a shop in Sonipat, as the alcohol was cheaper there.
Read: 700 boxes of illicit liquor seized in Greater Noida, one held
