Bhubaneswar: Excise sleuths busted a country liquor-making distillery amid dense residential houses of Salia Sahi slum on Saturday. They found and seized 5,000 litres of country-made liquor and arrested three persons in this connection.Acting on a tip-off, the personnel raided the storage and manufacturing units of liquor and thereafter, dumped the raw materials. Earlier, excise and police joint raids led to the seizure of one lakh litres of liquor in the locality in the past two years, officials said.“The raid was carried out at Nilachakra Nagar, Nayagarh Basti and Idco Basti. Mahua extract was seized and destroyed at the spot. We found about 12,200 litres of fermented wash, utensils used for preparation of liquor and a motorcycle ,” said excise superintendent Debashis Patel.The accused were identified as Sulochana Soren, Sukanti Hembram and Rabindra Hembram. Rabindra managed to flee the spot during the raid, officials said.Patel said the liquor was being made clandestinely in the slum, hoodwinking the agencies. “The liquor was being supplied in Salia Sahi and other slums as well,” he added. “The discovery of this hidden distillery highlights the lengths to which individuals go to evade the law,” Patel stated. The excise authorities have ramped up raids across the capital to combat illegal liquo production and sales, especially during the festive season. “We are intensifying our efforts to ensure that such illegal activities are curbed effectively,” Patel added.This operation follows a similar raid in March and Sept in Salia Sahi last year, in which officials targeted illegal country liquor dens, seizing large quantities of liquor and raw materials, and arresting nine people.
