Puducherry bootleggers busted, 5K liquor bottles seized

KALLAKURICHI: A six-member gang from Puducherry was recently arrested by Kallakurichi police for manufacturing and smuggling spurious liquor.

According to police, a special team including Prohibition Enforcement Wing (PEW) personnel were conducting vehicle checks at a tollgate near Ulundurpet on Thursday night, when they stopped a car with a Puducherry number plate. As the driver, A Sakthivel (42) from Arumparthapuram, Villianur, failed to properly respond to their questions, police officials grew suspicious and investigated further. It was determined that Sakthivel was escorting a mini lorry carrying spurious liquor from the union territory, police said.

Based on information provided by Sakthivel, police intercepted the mini lorry and seized about 4,800 liquor bottles from it. Five persons, including Sakthivel; the lorry driver K Ranga (29) from Thattanpalayam, near Panruti; K Annadurai (46) and V Sathish (31) from Aandiyarpalayam, Puducherry, and D Krishnamoorthy (45) from Kuranguputhur, Namakkal, were arrested the same night. Police said, during interrogation, the accused confessed to manufacturing liquor using rectified spirit and supplying it to Tasmac shops with fake stickers.

Subsequently, on Friday, police seized a lorry containing a mobile liquor manufacturing unit and two other vehicles. “We found the gang made the liquor inside the lorry’s closed cabin,” police said. Police recovered `3.7 lakh cash, empty bottles, caps and fake stickers with holograms from the mobile manufacturing unit. The same day, police also arrested K Kumar alias Sottai Kumar (65) who runs a liquor store in Puducherry, for supplying rectified spirit to the gang.

Speaking at a presser later, SP Samay Singh Meena said, “Severe action will be taken against those smuggling contraband. They will be arrested under the Goondas Act.”

Alleging widespread manufacture and sale of illicit liquor in the UT, AIADMK has urged the L-G and CM to initiate a comprehensive probe into the matter. State AIADMK Secretary A Anbazhagan, addressing reporters on Saturday, claimed that several locations in Puducherry are serving as bases for illicit liquor production. He stated that this liquor is not only sold within Puducherry but is also smuggled into TN. “Puducherry has become a hub for the sale of various narcotics, and the production of illicit liquor. This is causing significant economic damage to the UT,” he said. ENS