After intensifying their raids to check the activities of the illegal sand and liquor mafia in Chittoor district, officials of the Special Enforcement Bureau (SEB) are gearing up to invoke the Preventive Detention (PD) Act against repeat offenders.
Additional Superintendent of Police (SEB) Y. Rishant Reddy, addressing a press meet here on Saturday, said that an exclusive WhatsApp helpline (9440900004) has been set up to receive information from the public regarding the activities of the sand and liquor mafia.
Mr. Rishant Reddy said that five persons were arrested on Friday for allegedly smuggling sand by forging documents at the Nandanam sand reach. “There will be regular raids on the sand reaches from now on. If any malpractices come to light, criminal cases would be booked against the perpetrators and the licenses of the reaches would be cancelled,” he said.
The ASP said that after scrutining the history of the violators and based on the number of cases against them, the PD Act would be invoked against them.
Referring to the growing incidents of manufacturing of ID liquor in several villages of Chittoor district, Mr. Rishant Reddy said that some families had made it their livelihood to brew illicit liquor. “Anti-arrack campaigns would be intensified and the public of the vulnerable areas would be brought into the mainstream by educating them about the government welfare schemes,” the official said.
Additional SP (Admin) D.N. Mahesh and Assistant Commissioner (Excise) Hemanth Raju were present.
