With Tasmac shops closed due to the lockdown, traditional and local brew such as sunda kanji are making a comeback.
Sunda kanji is made from fermenting rice in earthen or mud pots covered with cloth and buried under the beach sands of the coastal areas in the city. In the past, there had been many instances of the brew being found by the police during raids, especially along the coast.
Taking advantage of the lockdown, a few have resorted to brewing it and making money. Following a tip-off, a special team of personnel led by sub-inspector M. Selvakumar, on the orders of Deputy Commissioner V. Vikraman, conducted a search on the sands in Odaikuppam, which falls under the Shastri Nagar police station limits. The beaches are completely prohibited for public movement in the lockdown.
The team in plainclothes spotted three suspicious persons on the shore with bottles in their hands. The police nabbed three accused, who were identified as Ajith, 27, Selvam, 40, and Mahendran, 49, as they were selling the brew from one of their houses in the fishing hamlet. The police also recovered 25 plastic pots/buckets of fermented rice and brought them to the police station.
The trio were arrested after booking a case under the provisions of the Tamil Nadu Prohibition Act and remanded in judicial custody. A police officer said, “They indulged in the illegal activity to make money utilising the lockdown and the closure of the Tasmac outlets. They were selling the sunda kanji at ₹100 for a litre.”
The police warned that regular raids would be conducted to control illegal activities such as brewing the rice beer and appropriate legal action would be initiated against them.
