India: Bootleg Liquor Kills at Least 28

At least 28 people died and 160 others were sent to the hospital in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh after imbibing toxic bootleg liquor, authorities said Tuesday. Police arrested a shop owner who sold pouches of the unlicensed liquor for about 30 cents each, mainly among a crowd of people who were watching a cricket match Sunday near the regional capital city Lucknow, according to government officials. Authorities found large containers of chemicals, which are being tested. “The symptoms gave a clear indication that these patients were served methyl alcohol,” a toxic substance sometimes combined with ethyl alcohol to make a brew cheaper, said Dr. Kausar Usman, head of the trauma center at Lucknow’s King George’s Medical Center. Authorities have also suspended six police officers suspected of taking bribes to ignore complaints against the shop, according to Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav.