Ten persons died after consuming spurious liquor in Tamil Nadu’s Villupuram and Chengalpattu districts, ANI reported on Sunday.

Six persons who hailed from the Ekkiyarkuppam village in Villupuram died on Sunday. In Chengalpattu’s Madhuranthagam, two persons died on Friday and a couple died on Sunday.

Thirty-three others have been hospitalised and are stable, Inspector General of Police (North) N Kannan said.

The police official said that the authorities have not yet found a connection between the deaths in the two districts but are investigating the possibility of such a link.

Preliminary investigations showed that those who died may have consumed spurious liquor mixed with ethanol and methanol, Kannan said.

Nine of those who died have been identified as S Sankar, G Daranivel, P Suresh, D Ramamoorthy, Malarvizhi, Chinnathambi, Vasantha, Velliappan and V Chandra, The Times of India reported.

The police arrested an alleged bootlegger named V Amaran in connection with the deaths in Ekkiyarkuppam, and alleged bootleggers Ammavasai and Kariyathangal in connection with the deaths in Madhuranthagam.

Seven police officers have been suspended for dereliction of duty. They are Marakanam police inspector Arulvadivazhagan, sub-inspector Srinivasan, prohibition enforcement wing inspector Maria Sophie Manjula, sub-inspector Sivagurunathan, Melmaruvathur police inspector Prem Anand, Chithamur police inspector Mohanasundaram and Madhuranthagam prohibition enforcement wing sub-inspector Ramesh.

In Viluppuram, a group of villagers blocked a road to protest against the deaths, PTI reported.

Chief Minister MK Stalin expressed shock over the deaths and announced that the families of those who died will be paid Rs 10 lakh. Those who have been hospitalised will be paid Rs 50,000 each, he said.

Stalin said that the government has been taking stringent measures to curb spurious liquor in the state.