BETTIAH, April 6 -- With three more people succumbing to spurious liquor during treatment, the death toll in the hooch tragedy in East Champaran rose to nine on Sunday, officials said. The first death in the case was reported on Thursday, they said. "One Vinod Sah, who was undergoing treatment in a hospital in Patna, and two others have died," said Harkishore Rai, deputy inspector general of police (DIG), Champaran range. A resident of Balganga village in East Champaran, Vinod Sah was critical after allegedly consuming spurious liquor on Wednesday evening among other victims in areas under Turkaulia and Raghunathpur police station limits. A total of 15 people have been arrested in connection with the deaths in the Turkauliya and Raghunathpur areas of Motihari, district magistrate Saurabh Jorwal said. A case of murder has already been registered on the basis of the complaints filed by the family members of the deceased, police said. The DM further said one person is still in the hospital and his condition is reported to be critical. "Seven persons have already been discharged after the treatment," he told PTI. "The bodies of the deceased have been sent for post-mortem examination. The exact cause of the deaths can only be known after the reports arrive," he said. The station house officer of Turkauliya police station has already been suspended on the charge of dereliction of duty, and a special investigation team has been constituted to probe the incident, officials said....