KOCHI
The excise department on Friday arrested a man on the charge of hoarding and illegally selling Indian Made Foreign Liquor from his house. The arrested man was identified as Thomas Joseph alias Jolly, 51, a resident of Alinchuvadu in Vennala. Thirty-five litres of liquor were seized from his home. The accused used to buy liquor of various brands from the outlets of the Kerala State Beverages Corporation (KSBC) with the aim of making a windfall through illegal sale, sources said. His service went by the name ‘Jolly Bar’ and was available even on dry days. The raid was conducted following a tip-off and the officers approached him in the garb of potential customers. Bottles of multiple brands of liquor were seized from his house. A team comprising assistant excise inspectors K.R. Ramaprasad and K.V. Baby, preventive officers K.K. Ramesan, P.U. Rishikesan and Sathyanarayanan, and members from the city excise shadow team N.D. Tomy, N.B. Abhijith Kumar, and civil excise officer Pramitha C.G. made the arrest. The accused was slapped with charges under the Abkari Act and was remanded in judicial custody.
