Patna, Dec 11 : Two people died after consuming suspected hooch in Bihar's Begusarai district.

The deceased were identified as Chunchun Prasad Singh, a rural medical practitioner, a resident of Ward-8, Maida Shahpur in Cheria Bariyarpur police station area and a 50-year-old compounder Hareram Tanti.

Both reportedly consumed liquor on Tuesday night, which their families said caused their deaths.

The incident has triggered a panic in the district.

While Singh's autopsy was yet to be done, the district administration conducted the post-mortem of Tanti under the supervision of a special team of the District Health Department.

Begusarai Civil Surgeon Pramod Kumar Singh claimed: "Earlier too, Tanti had undergone treatment at Sadar Hospital and partially lost his eyesight. But this time, Tanti died."

"The family members confirmed Tanti had a habit of alcohol consumption. It seems that he died due to consuming liquor. However, his post-mortem report has not come yet," the civil surgeon said.

Begusarai SP Manish stated that both individuals fell ill under suspicious circumstances.

"We are questioning the family members to gather more information. The case remains under active investigation to determine the exact cause of the deaths," Manish said.

The district administration has heightened vigilance to address potential issues related to illicit liquor, particularly in the affected areas of Cheriya Bariyarpur block.

Earlier in the second week of October this year, 62 persons reportedly lost their lives in Siwan and Gopalganj districts. However, the state police had confirmed 37 deaths.

In Siwan, the incident occurred in Maghar Kodia Panchayat under the jurisdiction of Bhagwanpur Haat police station.

Similarly, in Saran, an FIR was registered at the Mashrakh police station after the incident in Brahimpur village. Investigations in both districts were conducted and state police admitted that the deaths had happened due to spurious liquor.

/IANS