Bhubaneswar: A man was arrested for allegedly selling country liquor packaged in branded soft drink bottles in his stationary shops in Ghatikia area on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar on Friday.
Excise officers on Friday arrested the shopkeeper, Kartik Chandra Nandi (37) and are questioning one of his associates.
The excise sleuths seized around 200 soft drink bottles packed with country liquor which were kept in different baskets. He was selling each 200 ml bottle for Rs 50. Nandi had been running the illegal business for the last two months, excise officials said.
Nandi, had established a network with local bootleggers to supply him with country liquor, which he would then transfer into empty soft drink bottles.
To avoid suspicion, Nandi would carefully reseal the bottles to make them appear authentic. He preyed on local customers who were familiar with his setup, selling the fake bottles only to known persons. Excise officers are now working to trace the suppliers of the country liquor and uncover the mastermind behind the racket.
Nandi has reportedly named a few suspects, whose details are being verified, officials added.
