Motihari: One person died and three others are battling for life in a hospital in Balganga village under the Raghunathpur police station area in East Champaran district. Villagers said the cases were related to the consumption of illicit liquor or spirit, but SP Swarn Prabhat said the cause of death was not clear yet and would be confirmed only after the postmortem report. He, however, added the police were conducting raids to arrest liquor smugglers in the area.Family members said the victims also lost their eyesight after allegedly drinking illicit liquor.The deceased was identified as Chandu, who died at home after returning from Turkauliya bazar on Wednesday night. Loha Thakur, Laddu Sah and Jitendra Prasad are undergoing treatment and the attending doctors said they were out of danger.Thakur said in hospital that he had consumed spirit in Turkauliya bazar on Wednesday night and suddenly lost his eyesight, after which his health deteriorated rapidly. He was subsequently admitted to the hospital by his family members.Sub-divisional magistrate and sub-divisional police officer were camping in the area to oversee investigation. Six liquor mafias who had recently come out of jail were arrested by police on Thursday.Turkauliya has become a den of liquor mafias over the past five years, and more than seven persons have already died after consuming illicit liquor in the Turkauliya, Harsidhi, Sugauli and Raghunathpur police station areas in the last three years.
