Patna, Apr 7 (IANS): The Special Investigation Team (SIT) of Nawada Police arrested four persons responsible for making poisonous hooch that claimed 15 lives while four others lost their eyesight permanently.

Nawada SP D S Savlaram said that the SIT has arrested Suraj Chaudhery alias Karku Chaudhery of Kharidi Bigha village, Pappu Yadav of Gondapur and Anil Chaudhery and Manti Devi of Budhaul village on Tuesday.

The officer accepted that the deaths that happened in Nawada were due to the consumption of poisonous liquor.

"The accused have confessed that they were running makeshift liquor manufacturing units in their respective villages from where they sold hooch to villagers on Holi," Savlaram said.

"We identified the sellers of hooch in Kharidi Bigha, Gondapur and Budhaul village and conducted raids in other parts of Nawada, adjoining Nalanda and Begusarai districts to nab them. There are 10 FIRs registered in the city police station in Nawada," the SP said.

Besides Nawada, two persons in Begusarai and five persons in Rohtas districts also died after they consumed poisonous liquor on Holi.

Liquor has been banned in Bihar since April 2016. Still, a large number of liquor smuggling, illegal liquor manufacturing units and illegal sale of liquor cases are appearing in various parts of the state.