The Prohibition Enforcement Wing (PEW) of Cuddalore district police on April 27 arrested a 42-year-old woman on charges of brewing illicit arrack in a cashewnut orchard within the Kadampuliyur station limits after noticing suspicious activity through a drone camera.
The police have launched a search to nab the woman’s husband who fled the scene on seeing the drone.
Police sources said that the drone was used by the PEW to keep a tab on tipplers who have been sourcing alcohol illegally during the lockdown.
Following directions from the Superintendent of Police M. Sree Abhinav, a drone was deployed in Siruthondamadevi within the jurisdiction of Kadampuliyur police station.
Suspicious activity was immediately noticed in a cashew nut orchard and a team swung into action. The team arrested A. Lakshmi, 42, who was brewing arrack and seized 20 litres of fermented wash and 15 litres of arrack while her husband Arivazhagan fled the scene.
For the past two weeks, the Cuddalore police have been using drones to keep a tab on anti-social activities and for better enforcement of the lockdown.