The deaths have been reported in Ahmedabad and Botad districts of Gujarat state, where manufacturing, retail, and consumption of alcohol is illegal, confirmed a senior government official.

A man poisoned by bootlegged alcohol being transported to hospital

Press Trust of India said that police have arrested a number of people who are suspected of operating as bootleggers and responsible for the sale of the spiked alcohol that has caused major devastation in the region.

So far, at least 28 people have died and a further 60 are seriously ill.

Ashok Yada, a local police officer, told The Times of India: "A team from the forensic science laboratory and doctors are investigating the liquor content. We can confirm the cause of death only after getting the post-mortem report."

He added that police task forces were carrying out raids on local liquor dens.

Deaths caused by drinking illegally brewed alcohol is a common occurrence in India, where the drink is often laced with chemicals such as pesticides and sold at a low cost. Bootlegging is a profitable industry in India, as the criminals move huge amounts of alcohol, often to the poorest regions, and pay no taxes.

In 2020, at least 120 people died as a result of drinking bootlegged alcohol in the country's northern Punjab state.

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