The Tzurangkong Kaketshir Mungdang visited the Office of the Border Magistrate and the Tsutapela Gate on Friday, September 25, urging the authorities to maintain stringent checking and vigilant enforcement at the border to curb the circulation of suspected spurious alcohol. The appeal comes in the wake of recent incidents involving suspected spurious liquor that have claimed several lives.
The death toll in the suspected spurious liquor incident in Mokokchung district has risen to eight, with fresh deaths reported from Mangkolemba and Aliba on Friday, Mokokchung police confirmed.
One person died at Mangkolemba Community Health Centre at around 2 a.m. on Friday, while another death was reported in Mangkolemba in the evening. Two more persons died at Aliba in the afternoon, according to information available.
The exact cause of the deaths and illness remains under investigation. Police confirmed that they are in the process of sending samples to a Forensic Science Lab in Guwahati, Assam, to determine the nature of the alcohol and ascertain whether it was adulterated.
The development follows the deaths of four persons reported earlier in Mangkolemba Sub-Division following suspected consumption of adulterated or spurious liquor. Four others had reportedly fallen ill.
Police said the investigation is aimed at establishing the circumstances leading to the deaths and illness, tracing the source and supply chain of the suspected liquor, and identifying persons involved in its manufacture, transportation, distribution or sale.
Police had also cautioned that liquor from the suspected source may have been distributed to other parts of Nagaland and warned that its consumption could pose a serious risk to life and health.
The investigation is continuing.
Tzurangkong falls under Mangkolemba Sub-Division of Mokokchung district, where the latest suspected liquor-related deaths were reported.