NEW DELHI - Locally brewed liquor apparently tainted with lethal chemicals killed at least 59 people in southern India over the weekend, police said Monday.

Bootleggers began selling the deadly brew on Saturday after police shut authorized liquor shops in parts of the Karnataka state because of voting for the state government, said Sri Kumar, the state police chief.

In India, liquor stores and bars are routinely closed during elections to prevent politicians from handing out free alcohol in a bid to win votes.

Since Saturday, 59 people, most of them poor laborers, have died and 17 others were in hospital, said Kumar.
59 die drinking tainted liquor in India - MSNBC Wire Services - MSNBC.com

Twenty-seven deaths occurred in Bangalore, India's key information technology hub, and 19 died in the neigh*****g Kolar district. Another 13 people died in a village just across the state border with Tamil Nadu state, he said.

Kumar said six people have been arrested for selling the killer concoction, and police were analyzing the drink to determine what made it so deadly.

Deaths from illicitly brewed liquor are frequent in Indian villages and towns, where locally made brew is often spiked with pesticides or chemicals like the banned methyl alcohol to make it stronger or increase the amount.