Spurious liquor continues to play havoc with the lives of unsuspecting people.

Four persons, including a woman, have died in Patna City allegedly after consuming spurious liquor. Police, however, have a different take on the matter.

Daulatiya Devi (35), Gopal Ram (50), Krishna Ram (45) and Dharmendra Kumar (30), all residents of Ambedkar Colony under Sultanganj police station, allegedly drank poisonous liquor on March 21. Sources said they fell sick soon after.

The men died between March 23 and 24, while Daulatiya died at Nalanda Medical College Hospital on March 22. Still, the police have not confirmed that it was a hooch tragedy.

Patna senior superintendent of police Amrit Raj said: “At present, we cannot confirm that consumption of poisonous liquor caused the deaths, which took place on different days. The deceased were cremated. Daulatiya was admitted to Nalanda Medical College Hospital on March 22 and died the same day.

Her reports don’t show any consumption of poisonous liquor. The police could not recover the bodies. The families hinted at the poisonous liquor angle. But we cannot confirm that.”

Sources said the police reached the spot on Monday morning and recovered around 40 pouches of countrymade liquor from a house in the locality.

“There has been no arrest in this case. Investigations are on. It cannot be ascertained whether or not these deaths were caused by consumption of spurious liquor,” said another police officer.

On January 4 this year, eight residents of different localities under Mehendiganj police station of Patna City had died after consuming poisonous liquor. The police had confirmed the reason then.