An alleged illicit liquor manufacturing and distribution racket was busted in Jharkhand’s Deoghar district after excise officials raided two locations under Devipur police station limits, arresting two people and seizing 44 cartons of liquor, spirit and packaging material.
The early-morning operation was conducted on Friday following a tip-off, according to excise officials. The raids took place at Kubri village and Kubri More, where investigators said they found liquor stocks and materials associated with the manufacture and distribution of packaged alcohol.
Ranjit Kumar, 24, was arrested during the raid at Kubri village. Officials seized 39 cartons containing 351 litres of foreign liquor in 375 ml bottles, along with 20 litres of spirit, eight empty jerrycans, around 500 empty bottles packed in eight sacks, empty cartons and a mobile phone, the report said. Kumar is a resident of the area under Sarwan police station limits.
In a second operation near Kubri More, excise officials arrested Nathni Verma, 36. More than 45 litres of liquor were recovered from the location, officials said. Both accused have been booked under sections of the Jharkhand Excise Act.
The seizures indicate that the operation involved more than the recovery of finished liquor. The presence of spirit, empty bottles, jerrycans, cartons and other packaging material is part of the evidence being examined by investigators as they trace how the alleged operation was organised and supplied.
Excise superintendent Bimla Lakra said cases had been registered against the arrested people and other accused. “Cases have been registered against the arrested persons and other accused, and efforts are underway to arrest those who fled,” Lakra said, according to the report.
Investigators are also examining the source of the liquor and raw materials, the distribution network and possible interstate smuggling links. Particular attention is being given to a possible connection with neighbouring Bihar, where alcohol is prohibited, officials said.
The case places enforcement attention on the supply chain behind illicit liquor, rather than only on the retail point where alcohol may eventually be sold. The department’s investigation will determine whether the two raided locations were connected to a wider network and whether additional people are involved.
The excise department has not disclosed the identities of the other accused or specified the next hearing or investigation milestones. Officials said efforts were continuing to arrest those who fled, while the source and destination of the seized liquor and materials remain under investigation.
