Spurious liquor deaths in Bhavnagar, Gujarat: death toll rises to seven, 30 hospitalised

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Relatives of the victims of spurious liquor consumption, at the Sir Takhtasinh General Hospital in Bhavnagar, Gujarat, on August 19, 2026. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

The death toll due to consumption of spurious liquor in Gujarat's Bhavnagar district has gone up to seven, while 30 persons are hospitalised, police said on Thursday (August 20, 2026).

So far, 12 bootleggers have been detained in this connection, with an FIR registered against 21 persons, Inspector General of Police, Bhavnagar Range, R.V. Asari said.

Gujarat is a ‘dry’ State where the manufacture, sale and consumption of alcohol is banned.

Seven persons have died after consuming spurious liquor, and 30 are undergoing treatment, Mr. Asari said.

"A case of accidental death was registered when a person died after consuming toxic, chemical-laced liquor at Kharakadi village under the Vartej police station limits. An FIR was subsequently lodged, naming 21 individuals as accused," he said.

The police are conducting the investigation, and a team of the State Monitoring Cell has been assigned to handle the case, the official said. "So far, 12 individuals have been rounded up," he added. According to police, the victims consumed spurious liquor packed in the duplicate bottle of a popular Indian-Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) brand.

The district administration received information around 6 p.m. on Tuesday (August 18, 2026) about a group of five friends falling ill after consuming illicit liquor during a party in Kharakadi village in Ghogha taluka of the district. Later, it was found out that people from other villages and areas within Bhavnagar city were also affected, Bhavnagar Collector Manish Kumar said on Wednesday (August 19, 2026).

Superintendent of Police (SP) Nitesh Pandey said that a group of people consumed liquor from a "duplicate" bottle of an IMFL brand at Kharakadi village a few days back, after which their health deteriorated.

Teams of doctors from Sir T Hospital and Ahmedabad's kidney hospital IKDRC were also roped in for supervision at free treatment camps running at private hospitals.

The examination of the victims has shown a common pattern that most of them consumed alcohol from the duplicate liquor bottles, after which their health deteriorated, the SP said on Wednesday (August 19, 2026).

Preliminary investigation suggests that these bottles were supplied from Madhya Pradesh, and further investigation was underway into aspects like from where exactly they were brought, how they were produced, and who sent them to Bhavnagar, he said.

Many bottles of the same brand have been seized from bootleggers, and efforts are underway to apprehend other bootleggers involved in the supply of spurious liquor, the official said.