The Punjab police Thursday claimed to have busted several illicit liquor mafia modules as part of a statewide crackdown following over 100 deaths in a recent hooch tragedy.
The police said they made 135 more arrests in the last 24 hours and registered 197 new cases.
A total of 284 drums of methanol was seized from the Miller Ganj (Ludhiana) shop/godown of the arrested key accused, Rajiv Joshi, who had sold three drums that allegedly triggered the chain of deaths in three districts in one of the state's worst hooch tragedies.
As many as 113 people died in the tragedy – 84 in Tarn Taran, 15 in Amritsar and 14 in Gurdaspur's Batala.
Director General of Police Dinkar Gupta said investigations into the hooch tragedy were continuing and two Special Investigation Teams have been set up to fast-track FIRs in the case.
The police are conducting coordinated raids across districts to finish the illicit liquor business, he said.
In the last 24 hours 1,528 litres of illicit liquor, 7,450 kg of 'lahan' (raw material to make illicit liquor) and 962 litres of smuggled licit liquor were recovered in raids at various locations, he said.
Eleven working stills (bhattis) were also recovered in the 197 cases registered since Wednesday, said the DGP.
Since the raids started, a total of 1,489 FIRs have been registered and 1,034 people arrested, said Gupta.
A total of 29,422 litres of illicit liquor, besides 12,599 litres of licit liquor and 5,82,406 kg of 'lahan', along with 20,960 litres of alcohol/spirits, have been seized and 73 working stills (bhattis) recovered in the state-wide raids, he informed in an official release here.
The raiding teams are coordinating with the excise department, as per the Chief Minister's directives, said the DGP.
These raids will continue, he said.
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