MYSURU: Excise officials raided a factory of United Breweries Limited (UBL) in Nanjangud taluk of Mysuru district on Thursday and found liquor valued at Rs 98.52 crore stashed there. In all, 6.03 lakh boxes containing 23,160 litres of liquor were confiscated.
The raid at the UBL factory in Tandya industrial area assumes significance in view of the Lok Sabha elections. A team led by Excise Deputy Commissioner Nagashayana conducted the raid after the Chamarajanagar Deputy Commissioner’s office received an anonymous call that a huge quantity of liquor has been stashed at the UBL factory.
According to Nagashayana, the seized liquor was meant for Kerala, with over 14,000 boxes intended for shipment. However, trucks carrying 7,000 boxes made a return trip, prompting legal actions on the unit, including charges of illegal transport and hoarding.
“Of the 14,000 boxes of liquor, there was no mention of 7,000 boxes in the factory’s ledger. They were already unloaded. As per the Excise Act, while confiscating liquor for violations, along with illegal, even legal liquor should also be seized. So we have seized the liquor found there and shut the factory. Seventeen people, including the brewery excise officer, will be detained soon and produced before a local court,” Nagashayana said.
Liquor stock not illegal: UBL
Meanwhile, a spokesperson of UBL said, “We want to emphasise that all stocks in our Nanjangud unit and consignments meant for other states have necessary permissions. They are not illegal. We are working closely with the regulatory authorities to swiftly resolve this issue and resume normal operations.”