Police issue red alert over illegal whisky after multiple fatalities in Tuensang

Following a series of deaths linked to a suspected illegal whisky, Tuensang police issued a red alert on September 10 and 11, urging residents to steer clear of unlicensed spirits. The alert comes after nine bodies were recovered from the town and the nearby Chendang Saddle area.

Medical reports from hospital admissions highlighted respiratory distress, severe headaches and gastrointestinal upset, all consistent with alcohol poisoning.

Law enforcement officials have begun a door‑to‑door search in the affected neighborhoods, confiscating hundreds of bottles believed to be counterfeit. They are also examining a possible link to a family member of a local vendor who was found dead under suspicious circumstances, treating it as a potential suicide case separate from the primary investigation.

The police emphasized that no post‑mortems could be performed for several victims because families proceeded with cremations before the pattern of deaths emerged.