With no let-up in hooch-making and sales even after the reopening of liquor sales, the striking squads of the Excise Department have increased the frequency of their surprise checks in suspected areas. In one such raid on Wednesday, the squad from the Nadapuram Excise preventive unit seized around 550 litres of wash and 15 litres of arrack.
According to the squads, searches are now conducted simultaneously in various spots to track the illegal business. Though the preventive units have managed to seize large quantities of wash and arrack in their recent series of raids, those behind the illegal activity are still at large, they said.
The support of local informers too will be sought to identify villagers engaged in the business. Excise sources said details of a few suspects had been gathered.
Though some tribal hamlets have been under the scanner following suspicious attempts to sell hooch, officials confirmed that there had been no major incident to prove their involvement in the trade. However, surveillance has not been relaxed considering the rising number of liquor addicts in such colonies, they said.
Since the announcement of the national lockdown, the squads have been keen on suppressing hooch dens and illegal sales. More than 21,000 litres of wash, the alcoholic liquid being used for the distilling process, have been seized by the squad from various locations.
According to Excise officials, the search will be intensified with the support of nine squads. Also, there will be separate flying squads and a district-level striking unit to assist the drive.
