19 Dead in Nagaland After Consuming Spurious Liquor; Forensic Tests Confirm Methanol

Police have arrested 19 people and seized over 3,200 bottles as a hooch tragedy claims 19 lives across two Nagaland districts

PGurus Newsdesk

September 26, 2026

Tragedy comes weeks after a similar incident killed nine people in Tuensang, prompting a state-wide red alert

Forensic lab confirms methanol in Tuensang samples as quantitative analysis awaits results from Guwahati

At least 19 people have died in Nagaland’s Mokokchung and Tuensang districts over the past two days after allegedly consuming spurious liquor, with forensic testing confirming the presence of methanol in samples from one of the affected areas, police said Saturday.

Mokokchung district reported eight deaths and Tuensang district eleven, in a state where liquor prohibition has been in force since 1990. Two of those who died were police personnel, according to local reports.

Forensic confirmation

A Forensic Science Laboratory report from Dimapur, dated September 24, confirmed the qualitative presence of methanol — also known as methyl alcohol — in samples from the Tuensang deaths. Police cautioned that qualitative detection alone does not establish the concentration of methanol or whether it exceeded permissible limits; samples have been sent to the Central Forensic Science Laboratory in Guwahati for detailed quantitative analysis, with results still awaited.

Additional Deputy Commissioner of Mangkolemba, Moakumzuk Tzudir, described the situation as critical, saying some patients died within 30 minutes of reaching hospital.

Raids, arrests and seizures

Following the deaths, Nagaland Police launched raids across the affected districts, arresting 19 people and seizing close to 3,000 bottles and cans of suspected adulterated liquor — including rum, beer, whisky and vodka in Mokokchung alone, with total seizures across both districts now exceeding 3,200 bottles and cans. A case has been registered at Mangkolemba police station under Section 105 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, along with provisions of the Nagaland Liquor Total Prohibition Act.

A Special Investigation Team, headed by Additional Superintendent of Police Bunglang Chang, has been formed to trace the source and supply chain of the adulterated liquor. Senior Superintendent of Police Vesupra Kezo said investigators have obtained some leads but that it remains too early to disclose details. Police in Mokokchung have also warned that the liquor may have been distributed to other parts of the state.

Second such tragedy in weeks

This is the second major spurious liquor tragedy to hit Nagaland in recent weeks. Earlier this month, at least nine people, including three members of one family, died at Tuensang Civil Hospital after consuming suspected illicit liquor, prompting Nagaland’s Director General of Police, Rupin Sharma, to issue a red alert for the eastern districts. Victims in that earlier episode had reported symptoms including blurred vision, severe headache, dizziness, nausea and vomiting before their deaths.

Public health warning

Police have urged the public to avoid consuming unidentified, unlabelled or suspected illicit alcoholic beverages, and have advised anyone experiencing symptoms such as dizziness, blurred vision, breathing difficulties or loss of consciousness after drinking alcohol to seek medical care immediately. Methanol poisoning is a recurring hazard in cases of illicit liquor across India, with the substance sometimes used to boost potency or cut production costs in unregulated alcohol.

The investigation into the source and supply chain of the liquor remains ongoing.

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