Zilla Parishad Chairman M. Rajasekhar Goud and four others were booked on charges of being involved in illicit liquor sale on Wednesday. Excise officials had seized a huge quantity of liquor bottles stocked in an isolated place at Kothakota near Dhone a few days ago. The investigation pointed towards the involvement of the ZP Chief, his personal secretary Rajasekhar and two others identified as Raman Goud, son of Dhone MPP Chief and Umamaheswar Goud in the case. Another person Tirupal was also arrested.
According to reports, the excise personnel seized 16,000 bottles of spurious liquor and arrested a watchman identified as Tirupal. The officers also identified the vehicles used for transportation of liquor.
The case has serious political ramifications with Zilla Parishad Chief allegedly involved in the racket. However, excise officials stated that the stock was dumped on the premises of Tirupal. Two other accused-- Umamaheswar Goud and Raman Goud—allegedly accompanied the stock while ZP chief’s personal secretary Rajasekhar visited the premises in his car.
However, the accused reportedly said during the interrogation that the ZP Chairman had supported their business. The Excise officials said mere utterances by the accused would not qualify for substantial evidence. However, they recorded the statement of the accused and launched an investigation. The illicit liquor was believed to have been sourced from Bangalore.
