More than 2,000 people were arrested by police across Uttar Pradesh during a drive against manufacturing and sale of spurious liquor, an official spokesman said in Lucknow on Tuesday.

"During the two-day drive launched from February 27 to check manufacturing and sale of spurious liquor during Holi festival, 1,965 FIRs were lodged as many as 2,055 people were arrested on charges of bootlegging across the state," he said.

Earlier, in the wake of hooch tragedies in Varanasi and Ghaziabad, Director General of Police Karamveer Singh had directed police chiefs of all the district to launch a drive against illegal sale of liquor.

It was directed to maintain special vigil on the Haryana, Madhya Pradesh and Jharkhand borders.

During the drive, 27,252 litre country-made and 3,344 litre Indian made foreign liquor was recovered, the spokesman said.

"250 illegal units manufacturing country-made liquor were unearthed, besides 1,100 kg 'ganja' was also recovered," he said.

Four persons died in Ghaziabad on Friday after consuming spurious liquor.

Earlier on February 16, sixteen people died after consuming spurious liquor in Varanasi.