Raid on minaral water factory

Commissioner of police Letika Saran (left) and Additional Commissioner S.R. Jangid on Wednesday inspecting a machinery allegedly used for packaging arrack in Mangadu.Police raided a private mineral water godown in suburban Mangadu on Wednesday and seized about 1,000 litres of rectified spirit, 25,000 sachets each filled with 100 ml arrack, 1.40 lakh empty polythene sachets and packaging machinery. One person has been arrested in connection with the case and the police are on the look out for a few more.

The raid followed the arrest of K. Palani of Kaveri Nagar, Thiruverkadu, on Tuesday by the Prohibition Enforcement Wing. He has been accused of being in possession of 400 arrack sachets hidden in a gunny bag. During questioning, he said the sachets were procured from Madan Kumar and Babu of Rajamangalam who were allegedly operating the godown at Kunrathur Main Road in Mangadu.A special team, led by Additional DCP (PEW North zone) K Sekar, which conducted the raid, found that a group of five persons had been involved for the past two to three months in procuring the materials, including rectified spirit, from Karnataka and selling them in North Chennai after packing them in 100 ml sachets.

Speaking to presspersons after inspecting the godown, Commissioner of Police Letika Saran said the action followed the police intensifying prohibition raids in the city. “We will continue to closely monitor the movements of such people and take stern action”, she added.Police investigations revealed that the gang had been operating in the guise of being in mineral water business for the past one year. Four months ago, it had obtained electricity connection for the building and installed a machinery that was allegedly used for producing and packaging the illicit arrack. Fake seals and covers printed in Kannada were also seized.

Stating that the gang transported rectified spirit in small containers in lorries, which carried commodities from Bangalore and other cities, Additional Commissioner of Police S. R. Jangid said: “We will watch transport vehicles at random …”Commending the PEW team, Ms. Saran said mineral water godowns would come under the scanner .