BOOTLEG LIQUOR KILLS 33 IN MUMBAI INDIA

MUMBAI, India  – 33 people have died in Mumbai and 9 are fighting for their lives after drinking toxic home-made liquor, police said Friday, in the latest incident of alcohol poisoning in India.

Dhananjay Kulkarni, Mumbai police deputy commissioner, said it was the worst case of its kind to be recorded in the western Indian city in more than a decade.

Kulkarni said the victims had started to fall ill on Wednesday morning after consuming the illicit moonshine.

Crime branch is investigating and three suspects are being held in custody, Kulkarni said.

The three men, aged 30, 47, and 50, were arrested on Thursday night, he added.

Bootleg liquor is widely consumed across India where it is sometimes sold for less than a dollar for a 25cl bottle, with deaths frequently reported.

It is rare however for such incidents to occur in a major city like Mumbai.
Most cases taking place in poor, rural villages.

Source: AFP