Southern States - Kerala   

Locals bust hooch kingpin's distillery

By Ignatius Pereira

KOLLAM APRIL. 11. Losing patience over the laxity on the part of the local police and the Excise department in their response to the hooch tragedy that rocked the Kooppana area in Kollam yesterday, irate locals ganged up this morning and launched a massive raid on the premises of the prime culprit, Vailya Thampi. The raid unearthed huge quantities of spirit stocked in 35-litre capacity cans from a wide stretch of area that was mostly marshy land.

Following the seizure, the locals vehemently opposed the Anchalumoodu police from taking control over the situation and insisted that they would hand over the entire stuff directly to either the Kollam Collector, Rajan Khobragade, or the Kollam SP, Ajit Kumar. A posse from the local police station that arrived at the scene soon afterwards was booed off.

Later a strong police team from Kollam headed by the Additional Excise Commissioner, Arvind Ranjan, the SP, Ajit Kumar, and the Kollam RDO, Anand Singh, reached the scene and pacified the crowd.

The locals complained to the authorities that in spite of the strong posse of police and Excise personnel who arrived there in 18 vehicles and conducted search operations last night, not a single drop of spirit was seized. The whole action appeared to be a mock exercise that revealed the nexus between Thampi, the local police and the Excise Department, they alleged.

Spirit stored in cellar

Later, in a thorough inspection carried out by police in Thampi's house, it was found that the house functioned as a spurious IMFL manufacturing distillery. The police detected a cellar inside the kitchen where huge quantities of spurious bottled rum had been stocked.

The rum bottles under the brand names of `Sixer', `Majestic' and `Salsa' were manufactured there by mixing spirit with flavouring agents. A can of Rum Flavour, caramel and huge quantities of rum brand labels, bottle caps and Excise stickers were also found inside the cellar. While the `Sixer' brand rum was of 1-litre bottles, the `Majestic' and `Salsa' brands were found stocked in bottles.

Earlier, the locals had found another cellar located in a shed in the house compound. A bottle capping machine and more than 50 empty cans were found in the cellar. Sack-loads of empty liquor bottles were also found stored in the shed. Those residing in the vicinity told presspersons that each month a mini-lorry load of empty liquor bottles, collected from various bars in Kollam city, used to arrive at the house.

The operations were so open that it would sound strange if the local police and the Excise Department claimed that they were unaware of it. The locals said that several persons from the area had in the past tipped off the police and the Excise on the activities. But the informers were threatened and attacked by Thampi's goondas.

They also said that they had seen the local police and Excise officers arriving regularly at Thampi's house obviously for collecting the monthly bribes.

Mr. Ajit Kumar was informed by the crowd that most of the spurious rum manufactured by Thampi was being sold through some of the bars and even a couple of the Beverage Corporation retail outlets in the district. Meanwhile, in order to boost the sale of hooch, Thampi had ensured by sheer muscle and money power that the toddy shop located in the area was not auctioned away. He had used the toddy shop as a convenient location to store hooch and its sale at Kooppana was primarily centered around this toddy shop.

The locals demolished a portion of the toddy shop and found more than 100 empty 35-litre capacity cans plus spirit stored in four such cans. Five more cans with equal capacity containing spirit were also found from the vicinity. Several diaries showing account details of the hooch transactions were also recovered from the toddy shop. These were handed over to the Excise Additional Commissioner. Thampi and his family members are absconding.

Meanwhile, the Electricity Minister, Kadavur Sivadasan, who visited the area this noon, had to face the wrath of the locals. He was virtually blocked by a mob and the police had to throw a protective cordon around the Minister.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Southern States

News: Front Page | National | Southern States | Other States | International | Opinion | Business | Sport | Miscellaneous |
Advts: Classifieds | Employment | Obituary |

Stories in this Section

• Crime Branch to probe liquor tragedy
• LDF, BJP blame Govt.
• Locals bust hooch kingpin's distillery
• Thomas to obey high command decision
• Antony holds discussions with UDF leaders
• PG nursing: applications called for
• No new release in three theatres
• HC stays Govt. decision on teachers' salary
• More Hudco-aided schemes this year
• Hooch tragedy: 20 more hospitalised
• Rivalry between retailers may have led to tragedy

Copyright © 2003, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu