Rautahat, February 3:

Consumption of hooch took four lives and rendered 13 sick in Gamhariyabirta of Rautahat today.

Rajendra Hajara (35), Ram Bilas Raut (50) and Indra Raut (30) of Akadpakad Tole died this morning after consuming hooch at Bagarjawa bazaar of Gamhariya on Sunday, the Garuda Area Police Office said. Their bodies were handed to the families after post-mortem. Ram Bilas was also selling alcohol in the local market.

Mahabir Ram Chamar of Raghunathpur VDC died after consuming the tainted liquor, the police said. He was brought to Rautahat district hospital from Gamhariya in the evening where the doctors declared him dead.

Thirteen persons including Ramnath Thakur, Moja Raut, Achchelal Baitha, Ajay Mandal, Shivdayal Raya Yadav, Akul Mandal, Tej Narayan Raut, Shambhu Raut, Ram Ekwal Petel, Samahir Ram, Gudar Ram and Jayamangal Ram fell sick after consuming the hooch, locals said. They have been taken to Narayani Sub-Regional Hospital in Birgunj for further

treatment, SP Ghanananda Bhatt said.

Sikendar Shah, a resident of Jigadiya-5, has been held for producing spurious liquor. Shah admitted that he sold liquor at the rate of Rs 40 per litre after mixing locally produced alcohol with a Rs 120-per-litre product of Baba Distillery. Police said the tainted liquor will be sent to Kathmandu for test.

Meanwhile, police destroyed 39 illegal liquor production structures in Rautahat today. More than 6,000 litres of liquor was seized from locals and destroyed, Border Security Office of APF in Gaur said.