Arrack ban: Sachets worth lakhs seized across State
DH News Service, Hubli:
Close on the heels of banning the sale of arrack throughout the State, police and excise department personnel seized lakhs of arrack sachets worth lakhs of rupees in Hubli, Bagalkot and Bijapur districts on Sunday. In Raichur, however, 25,000 sachets were surrendered voluntarily.
Close on the heels of banning the sale of arrack throughout the State, police and excise department personnel seized lakhs of arrack sachets worth lakhs of rupees in Hubli, Bagalkot and Bijapur districts on Sunday. In Raichur, however, 25,000 sachets were surrendered voluntarily.
Acting on a tip off, police swooped on a house at Mishrikoti in Kalghatgi taluk and seized 1.5 lakh arrack sachets worth more than Rs 15 lakhs and arrested one person in this connection.
The sachets were kept in 600 gunny bags. Police suspect that the stock might have been purchased elsewhere and stored in the house.
The connivance of the excise contractor was not ruled out. The sachets were supplied by the government and should have been returned to the excise department after the ban came into being. Police were interrogating the accused to know more details.
In Hubli, excise and police personnel seized around 10 lakh worth arrack sachets from a godown belonging to an excise contractor on Gokul Road. They took possession of arrack sachets kept in 600 plastic bags. The seized stock was taken in two trucks. Senior police and excise officials participated in the raid.
Bagalkot
In Bagalkot, police seized 24,000 arrack sachets worth Rs 1.5 lakh from Semekere Thanda in the outskirts of Bagalkot district on Sunday.
It was packed in 125 gunny bags and dumped near the thanda. No arrest has been made in this connection.
Bijapur
In Bijapur, both police and excise officials seized 1,500 litres of arrack and chemicals used in the preparation of hooch from Harinashikari Colony in the city.
More than 100 police and excise personnel participated in this operation and nabbed 12 persons. More details are awaited. Hubli-Dharwad City Police Commissioner Narayan Nadmani told Deccan Herald that all government arrack shops had been closed in the twin cities and police officers were on rounds to ensure strict ban on the sale of arrack.
Raichur
Nearly 25,000 arrack packets were surrendered ‘voluntarily’ in Lingasugur taluk in Raichur, according to Deputy Commissioner of Excise Raichur B D Saavakkanavar.
He said that 472 arrack shops in the district had been closed from midnight itself.
Special squads had been deployed throughout the district, the official said and added that the 875 arrack vendors in the district will be rehabilitated under the Suvarna Kayaka Yojane.
Mysore
City Crime Branch (CCB) sleuths along with the Excise personnel raided an arrack manufacturing unit and seized illicit arrack and various equipment, used in its preparation, worth around Rs 3 lakh in Mysore on Sunday. The accused, Verghese, a native of Kerala, was arrested and produced before the court. Arrack, including over 800 200 ml sachets and machinery involved in its preparation worth Rs 1.5 lakh and Rs 75,000 respectively was seized.
