Bhubaneswar: In a major crackdown on the illegal liquor trade, the Excise Department in Mayurbhanj district unearthed a fake liquor manufacturing racket and seized a huge cache of duplicate foreign liquor, coloured spirit, and raw materials used in its production. Two persons have been arrested in connection with the case, officials said on Sunday.
Acting on a tip-off, a team led by Betanati Excise Sub-Inspector Pradip Kumar Behera conducted a raid in the Betanati block and apprehended two persons allegedly involved in transporting and distributing counterfeit liquor. A motorcycle and mobile phones were also seized from their possession.
According to Excise officials, intelligence inputs indicated that fake Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) was being smuggled into Betanati from Balasore. Based on week-long surveillance, officers intercepted a suspect near Fire Station Square and recovered 45 litres of duplicate IMFL and 20 litres of coloured spirit from him. The coloured spirit was being used as a key ingredient to prepare counterfeit liquor resembling popular foreign brands, officials added.
“We had specific intelligence regarding fake liquor being smuggled into Betanati. The suspect had been under watch for nearly a week before being caught with the duplicate stock. He is currently being interrogated, and further details will be verified after a detailed probe,” said SI Pradip Kumar Behera.
Preliminary investigations suggest that the racket was involved in manufacturing and distributing spurious liquor under the guise of popular foreign labels. The Excise Department has intensified raids across the region to trace the source and other members of the network.
