A large-scale illicit country liquor manufacturing unit was unearthed by the police in Odisha’s Berhampur on Tuesday night with the arrest of 14 persons.
The Ganjam Police have also cautioned against fraudulent offers of delivering liquor to the door-step posted on social media platforms, which had led to several alcohol dependent persons getting cheated. They appeared to suggest that illicit liquor traders and their customers were busy dodging the ban on liquor during the lockdown.
On Tuesday night, a team from the Baidyanathpur Police Station of Berhampur raided a brick kiln in the Jaleswarpur area, which served as a cover for the sizeable country liquor distillation and packaging unit.
According to Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) Berhampur Prabhat Rautray, 4,740 litres of distilled country liquor, suspected to be adulterated, was seized from the spot. Over 23,800 litres of pre-distilled brew was also seized.
Polythene packets
The police team also located two packaging units and a polythene roll that were being used to pack the illicit liquor in polythene pouches for easy transportation and sale through vendors in and around Berhampur.
The owner of the unit Bhaskar Sahu (61) and 13 workers were arrested from the spot.
