(COLOMBO) – Four persons died after consuming illicit liquor known locally as ‘Kassipu’ at a village in central Sri Lanka, police said on Thursday.
They said the incident was reported from the farming town of Dambulla some 157 kilometers from the commercial capital of Colombo.
According to police the victims died nearly two days after consuming the alcohol from an illicit trader in Vihara Junction, Dambulla and they were identified as low income field workers.
The illicit alcohol business has hit dizzy heights since last year after a cash-strapped Government increased the Excise taxes by a whopping 150 percent thereby forcing tipplers to take the risk at flirting with the strong substance.
Investigations in the past have also revealed that illicit hooch traders are often backed by regional politicians and officials and errant police officials are also known to be on the take.
Such deaths are rare in the island-nation when compared with figures in other South Asian countries mainly India and Bangladesh.
