‘Perumpambu’, which translates into English as python, has off late assumed criminal connotations of illicit distillation and bootlegging for the Kerala Excise Department.
T. Anikumar, head of the State Excise Enforcement Squad (SEES), says the term, is a lockdown era enforcement phraseology. It refers to the relatively new method of concealing huge reservoirs of wash underground in cylindrical lengths of thick-walled plastic balloons.
“When wrenched out from their underground burrows, the lengthy wash-filled receptacle appears to resemble the distended belly of a python that had just swallowed a large prey. Hence, the nickname,” he says.
The government had banned the sale of legal alcohol since May 8. Kerala’s per capita consumption of liquor is among the highest in the country. The mismatch between demand and supply is vast. Illicit distillers operating out of remote localities have stepped in to bridge the yawning gap, Mr. Anikumar says.
Underground reservoirs
G. Mohankumar, Excise Inspector, Vamanapuram Range, who had recently led a raid on a hooch den in a forested locality, says the subterranean sumps are almost impossible to detect from above ground.
Moonshine makers use dry leaves and stick to camouflage the mouth of the warrens. “The sumps are designed to allow illicit distillers to draw fermented wash like farmers drawing water from a wellspring. The scale of brewing is industrial,” Mr. Mohankumar says.
The rule of thumb is that 1,000 litres of fermented jaggery can yield up to 600 litres of alcohol. The initial discharge from the still is a potent 80% proof liquor.
As the distillation progresses, the strength of the yield incrementally dwindles to 30 or 40 proof. He says a litre of moonshine can fetch up to ₹ 2,500 and upward currently. The profit margin is lucratively high.
Bootleggers target everyday drinkers
The bootleggers are increasingly targeting daily drinkers who patronise low-priced brands. Supply networks are mobile phone centred and courier-run.
Since May 10, the Excise Department has destroyed nearly 10,000 litres of wash and dismantled several stills. However, enforcers say the cases detected so far is just the tip of the iceberg. Excise Commissioner S. Ananthakrishnan is heading the continuing operations.
Hooch replaces illicit spirit
The smuggling of illicit spirit into Kerala from sugarcane processing regions in North India has dwindled to a trickle owing to lockdown restriction on the movement of people and vehicles.
The current scarcity of illicit spirit has come as a windfall for illegal distillers.
Excise officials say many persons who lost their jobs due to the closure of bars, beer and wine parlours and toddy shops have taken to unlawful brewing.
Criminal gangs sensing an opportunity have invested heavily in illicit distillation, providing men, material and protection.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday announced joint raids by the police and excise to prevent illicit distillers from gaining a permanent toehold in the massive market for inexpensive liquor.
Alcohol withdrawal issues on the rise
Dr. G. Mohan Roy, resident medical officer, department of psychiatry, Government Medical College Hospital, Thiruvananthapuram, says the number of persons struggling with alcohol withdrawal issues is rising during the lockdown.
Many have turned to home brewing or substituted legal liquor with codeine rich medications, pain killers, marijuana or synthetic drugs.
“I treated a patient who learned to distil hooch at home during lockdown from a Youtube tutorial,” he says.
The State government has indicated that it would progressively lift lockdown restrictions, including the ban on the sale of legal liquor. The sole rider is that the pandemic situation should improve to a manageable level.
No home delivery of liquor
A government official says they are unlikely to allow bars to open for indoor service any time soon.
The Kerala State Beverages Corporation (Bevco), the government-owned liquor wholesale and retail monopoly, had toyed with the idea of home delivery of liquor via e-commerce platforms.
However, Excise Minister M. V. Govindan told a news channel recently that the government is averse to the idea.
A top Excise official said West Bengal had shelved a similar proposal. Moreover, the government was mindful that home delivery of legal liquor would draw criticism from religious groups and prohibitionists.
Church against door delivery
Last year, the Kerala Catholic Bishops Conference warned the State government against permitting the online sale and home delivery of liquor. Muslim social organisations had also cautioned the administration against “making homes bars”. The Congress-led United Democratic Front opposition had supported the demand.
A government official says any move on permitting the sale of alcohol would hinge on a tangible reduction in the number of COVID-19 cases. The government seemed more inclined to reintroduce the mobile phone application. Consumers could book their slots for purchasing liquor from Bevco outlets 24 hours in advance. Liquor tax is a significant revenue source for the government.
