Bhubaneswar: The Excise Department conducted a major raid on a clandestine liquor manufacturing unit in Kandarsingha village under Parajang police limits of Dhenkanal district, seizing fake foreign liquor and production materials worth over Rs 20 lakh.
During the operation, a woman, Padmini Nayak, was arrested, while her husband, Bichitra Nayak, managed to escape.
The Excise officials recovered 143 litres of foreign liquor, 6 litres of flavouring agents, 10 litres of caramel, 7,265 branded labels of reputed liquor brands, 17,997 counterfeit caps, and a machine used for production.
According to preliminary reports, the factory was producing adulterated liquor by mixing various branded spirits and repackaging them as genuine products.
Excise officials are now continuing their investigation into the source of the raw materials and the distribution network for the spurious liquor.
