Patna, March 17 A total of 354 people have died due to the consumption of spurious liquor in Bihar since the prohibition law was implemented in 2016, a senior police officer said here on Tuesday.
The average monthly seizure of "hooch" has increased by 18 per cent until February this year compared to 2025.
Speaking to reporters here, ADG (Prohibition and State Narcotics Control Bureau) Amit Kumar Jain said, "Since the prohibition was imposed, 354 people have died due to the consumption of spurious liquor in Bihar."
The police officer's statement came days after five people died due to the consumption of suspected illicit liquor in Saran district.
Jain said that authorities have intensified efforts to seize liquor.
"In the first two months of 2026, the average monthly recovery of liquor reached 3,70,684 litres, an 18 per cent increase over 3,14,610 litres in 2025. The average monthly recovery of liquor was approximately 2,88,425 litres in 2024, which is nine per cent lower than the 2025 figures," the ADG said.
He added that the total amount of liquor seized by the Bihar police in 2024 and 2025 was 34,61,096 and 37,75,321 litres, respectively.
Jain said that in addition to recovering liquor within the state, the Bihar police's prohibition unit also conducts inter-state raids to check the supply of liquor here.
"In the first two months of this year, the unit conducted three raids outside the state — two in UP and one in Jharkhand," he said.
In 2024, a total of four such raids were conducted, and the number increased the next year to 38 — 15 in Jharkhand, 17 in UP, four in Chhattisgarh, and two in Madhya Pradesh, the ADG added.
According to the police statement, in the first two months of this year, 8,072 traders and 14,755 consumers of liquor were arrested, of which 251 arrests were made outside the state.
The ADG said that liquor disposal is also a major focus area for the police.
"The prohibition unit has conducted surprise inspections in various police stations and monitored the godowns. We have circulated an SOP to all districts regarding the legal provisions and rules for liquor disposal to ensure uniformity in the process," he said.
Apart from liquor, between 2023 and the first two months of 2026, there has been a significant increase in the recovery of various narcotic substances, including ganja, charas, heroin and brown sugar, the officer said.
Referring to the suspected hooch deaths in Saran district, the ADG said that six of the 10 named accused have been arrested.
"The main accused, Suraj Mahto, had fled to Purnea, but he was tracked down based on intelligence from the Narcotics Bureau and brought back to the district and arrested," he added.
Of the five deceased, autopsies were conducted for two, while the bodies of the other three had already been disposed of, Jain said.
"We are currently awaiting the full investigation results, but the chemical examination report for the recovered liquor has confirmed the presence of ethyl alcohol," said Jain.
The Bihar government in 2016 enforced a complete ban on the manufacture, trade, storage, transportation, sale, and consumption of liquor and intoxicants in the state. However, this led to scores of hooch tragedies resulting in numerous deaths.