TIRUPATHUR: Businessmen brewing illicit liquor are thriving in Ambur, thanks to the well-trained new recruits who have been inducted into the operations. Apart from the strength and endurance required to carry out the job, it’s the fact that they cannot talk to the police that make them attractive hires – because they are donkeys!
A team comprising forest and revenue departments’ officials conducted a raid in Melkuppam on Tuesday, and stumbled upon a shed stocked with cans and raw materials needed to make arrack. There, they also found donkeys, which were being used to ferry the commodity, tied to a shed.
“A group has been brewing liquor in the hills for long. We made several complaints to the authorities, but only now they have raided the place,” said a villager. “The sellers use the donkeys to take the raw materials from the shed to the top of the hills, where they brew the arrack. No one needs to herd these donkeys because they are so well-trained that they can reach the top without deviating from the route.”