Five persons have died after consuming spurious country liquor in Uttar Pradesh’s Bulandshahr district on Thursday night.

“A youth brings liquor on his motorcycle every evening and sells it to villagers at Rs 30 per bottle. Over 20 villagers took it between 9pm and 10pm on Thursday and went to sleep. They started vomiting and complained of nausea around 1am. Four of them died before they could be taken to hospital. One more person died on Friday,” a resident said.

The victims, all Dalits, were daily wage earners.

Kuldeep Singh, identified by villagers as the manufacturer of the spurious liquor, was arrested on Friday evening. Local excise officer Prabhat Barman has been suspended. Three senior officers of the department — Sanjay Tripathi, Rajesh Tripathi and Suresh Patel — have been transferred.

Santosh Kumar Singh, the senior superintendent of police, said: “Local police station in-charge Dixit Kumar Tyagi and sub-inspector Anokhe Puri have been suspended for dereliction of duty as the illicit liquor was sold in their area.”

“Five persons have died while a dozen are in hospital. We have taken three persons into custody and are probing the case. The accused will be booked under the National Security Act,” he added.

Villagers said the area’s hooch traders sold the illicit liquor under the brand name “Prince India”.

The family members of the victims have given to the police the empty plastic bottles in which the liquor had been sold.