At least 86 people have died recently from drinking toxic bootleg alcohol in India's northern state of Punjab, officials say.
While hundreds in India die every year from drinking illegally produced alcohol from roadside eateries, the number of deaths has steadily increased in the last few days.
On Saturday police carried out more than 100 raids and made 25 arrests, seizing supplies and suspected illegal liquor, according to the BBC.
Reports suggest the toxic liquor was produced in large quantities, sold to cafe owners and then dispensed to the local community.
Punjab's Chief Minister Amarinder Singh ordered an inquiry into the deaths on Friday.
Distilleries often opt for illegally made alcohol because it's cheaper than branded spirits.
But the illegal liquor is often spiked with methanol, a highly toxic form of alcohol that can cause blindness and kidney failure.
The deaths come shortly after 10 people died from drinking alcohol-based sanitiser in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, the BBC reported on Friday.
When liquor stores closed for COVID-19 lockdown, alcohol-dependent victims mixed sanitiser with water and soft drinks, said district police chief Siddharth Kaushal.
On Saturday, India recorded 57,118 new cases of COVID-19 and a total of 1.6 million confirmed cases.
