Five dead in suspected hooch tragedy in Bihar’s Saran district
PATNA: Five people lost their lives after consuming spurious liquor in Bihar’s Saran district during the last nearly 72 hours. Two people have been arrested on the charges of possessing illicit liquor following the incident under Panapur and Masarakh areas of the dry state.
Sources claimed that the first death was reported from Mashrakh last Wednesday (March 11, 2026). The deceased was identified as Santosh Mahto. Later, another person died after allegedly consuming spurious liquor in Panapur on Thursday. At least seven others are undergoing treatment at Sadar Hospital in Chhapra.
Sources alleged that as many as five people lost their lives after consuming spurious liquor since Wednesday. Family members of some of the deceased alleged that the deaths were caused by alcohol consumption.
However, the administration claimed that the victims lost their lives due to illness, and their deaths were not caused by consumption of spurious liquor.
Sources claimed two deaths took place in Panapur while three others occurred in Mashrakh. The deceased have been identified as Santosh Mahto (Mashrakh), Raghuvar Mahto (Mashrakh), Dharmendra Singh (Mashrakh), Sukhal Nat (Panapur), and Dharmendra Rai (Panapur). Among them, the family members of Santosh Mahto alleged that his death was due to consumption of spurious alcohol.
According to the district administration, the deaths have been reported from different areas since March 11. “Raghuvar Mahto and Pankaj Singh died on Friday during treatment. Their bodies have been sent for post-mortem examination and the exact cause of death will be known only after autopsy reports are received,” the Saran district administration said in a statement on Friday.
Mashrakh sub-divisional police officer (SDPO) Sanjay Kumar Sudhanshu claimed the deaths were not caused by alcohol consumption, as there was no evidence of it so far. He said that police were investigating the matter and claimed that, prima facie, it was suspected that the deaths were caused by liver failure.
The district administration has formed a special investigation team to ascertain the cause of the deaths. All hospitals in the district have been put on alert and instructions have been issued that police must be informed if any patient with symptoms of alcohol consumption is admitted, the district administration’s statement said.
On Friday, police conducted raids at 160 locations in Dhenuki, Dhenuki Nut Tola, Dubauli and Masarakh blocks in which 11 people were arrested. During the searches, 1,650 litres of illicit liquor were seized.