Next time you visit a nearby ‘paan’ shop, don’t be surprised if you find liquor bottles. It may sound strange but the Excise and Prohibition sleuths were shocked to found 28 whisky full bottles kept in a ‘paan’ shop at Vissannapet.
More surprisingly, Excise officials, acting on a tip-off, raided a stone-crushing unit at Mylavaram only to find crates of liquor bottles. As if this was not enough, authorities seized 250 whisky bottles hidden in a closed grocery store at Jaggaiahpet. These incidents show that politicians seem to be leaving no stone unturned in adopting innovate ways of stocking and distributing liquor among voters during elections.
As many as 8,026 litres of Illicit Distilled (ID) liquor were seized during the crackdown by Excise officials between March 3 and April 24 and arrested 272 people in 649 cases. Fifty-six vehicles were recovered from them. Over 4,286 litres of Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) and 1,580 litres of beer were confiscated by nabbing 147 people in 140 cases, said Vijayawada Excise Unit Assistant Superintendent Y. Bheem Reddy.
Mr. Reddy said vehicle checking has been intensified after the Code of Conduct came into vogue. “We have also strengthened our informants’ network to crack the whip against those trying to buy liquor in bulk in connection with polls,” he explained. The raids conducted so far have enabled the department to recover huge haul of liquor stored illegally, he said.
Excise Task Force Inspector Ajay Kumar Singh Chauhan said cases under the relevant provisions of Excise Act were booked against the accused and they were arrested. “Even after adopting innovative methods of storing liquor bottles, we successfully managed to locate the hideouts and seized bottles,” he explained. The department has also maintained a constant vigil at strategic locations in Vijayawada and its surroundings to prevent illegal flow of liquor, he added.
