Karnataka: Spurious wine worth Rs 5.57 lakh seized by excise officials

Excise officials conducted a raid on a house at Lobo Lane in Kadri where spurious wine was being prepared. Photo shared by excise officials.

Mangaluru: The Excise department seized a huge stock of spurious wine during a raid at Kadri, Lobo Lane in Mangaluru. The raid was carried out by officials of Mangaluru Sub-Division–1 and South Zone–1, under the directions of the Joint Commissioner of Excise, Mangaluru Division, and the Deputy Commissioner of Excise, Dakshina Kannada.

The officials raided the residence of Michael Blaize Menezes. During the search, they found 238.5 litres of spurious wine, 1,500 litres of fermenting liquid used for wine preparation, 3.18 litres of liquor, and several equipment used to manufacture spurious wine.

The suspect was arrested on the spot and later produced before the court. A case has been registered against him under sections 13(1)(a), 13(1)(f), 14,15,32(1),32(2),(e), 34,38(A) of the Karnataka Excise Act, 1965. The total value of the seized items is estimated at Rs 5.57 lakh.