Commissionerate Police Seizes Huge Cache Of Illicit Liquor In Special Drive; Nabs Six In Odisha Capital

Bhubaneswar: In a special drive, the Commisionerate police busted an illegal liquor manufacturing racket and recovered huge amounts of raw material for making country-made liquor on Tuesday at Salia Sahi slum in Bhubaneswar.

A joint team led by DCP Prateek Singh has also seized a substantial quantity of country liquor while it was being prepared, and the ready-to-be-sold products.  Police have also arrested six persons in this connection.

According to police, the raid was carried out based on a tip-off about the brewing of hooch in a number of houses inside Salia Sahi.

Following this, a possible hooch tragedy occurring in the narrow bylanes of the city slums was averted.

Speaking to media persons, DCP Prateek Singh said, “The activity catches momentum during the festival season. Now that the Durga Puja season is approaching, illegal liquor manufacturing and sale was on a rise. But the raid today has prevented a huge quantity of illicit hooch from reaching the grey market.”

“During the raid, 10 houses were searched and 420 litres of ID liquor were seized. Apart from this, 14,000 litres of fermented rice were destroyed along with the seizure of 423 utensils out of which 200 utensils were destroyed at the spot and 223 numbers utensils and other apparatus used for distillation of liquor have also seized,” DCP added.

Meanwhile, Nayapalli police has registered a case under Section 52 (a) (i) of the Odisha Excise Act in this connection.