About 21 people have died in India after drinking spiked alcohol, officials say.
The deaths occurred in the Ahmedabad and Botad districts of Gujarat state in western India, according to senior government official Mukesh Parmar, where the manufacture, sale and consumption of alcohol is strictly prohibited. .
Another 30 people have fallen ill as part of the same incident.
The Press Trust of India said police in the area have arrested people they believe are smugglers who were involved in selling the alcohol.
Local Inspector General of Police Ashok Yada told The Times of India: “A forensic science laboratory team and doctors are investigating the liquor content. We can only confirm the cause of death after getting the post mortem report”.
He added that the police are now cracking down on local liquor bars.
People dying after drinking illegally made alcohol is commonplace in India, where it is often laced with chemicals such as pesticides and sold cheaply.
It is a very profitable industry in India, as smugglers do not pay taxes and move large volumes of their products often to the poorest in society.
At least 120 people died in 2020 after drinking contaminated alcohol in the northern state of Punjab.