Illicit arrack unit busted

Chennai, June 20 (UNI) The prohibition enforcement wing of the city police busted an illicit arrack manufacturing unit at suburb Kundrathur here last night.

Acting on a tip off, a police party conducted a surprise raid at a factory, operating under the guise of a manufacturing and supplying packaged drinking water unit, and seized over 6,000 litres of rectified spirit worth Rs 5.5 lakh and arrested one person.

Search was on for three others said to be the owners of the factory.

City Police Commissioner Ms Latika Saran told reporters that a police team seized a van with 400 illicit arrack sachets in a gunny bag and arrested driver Palani of Thiruverkadu. On interrogation, he confessed that he had purchased it from one Madhan Kumar of Rajapalayam and 'City' Babu who were running a 'unit' selling 'duplicate' Karnataka arrack at Kundrathur.

The police team also seized a brewing equipment, over 25,000 sealed packets and 1,40,000 empty plastic polythene paper roles from the unit.

She claimed that sachets were smuggled in from neighbouring states and this was the first case where the police busted a manufacturing unit in a suburb.

UNI