HYDERABAD: Investigation by the Anti-Corruption Bureau into the liquor syndicates’ activities in Vizianagaram district has revealed that several wine shops bear similar trade names, which possibly indicate that they are controlled by one or more group of persons or syndicates.
‘’They have accomplished their objective of gaining control over more than 50 per cent of shops in the district with the active assistance and collusion of officials right from the stage of auction and through all these months (starting from 2010) of running business.
Financial investigation is in progress to unravel the flow of money,’’ ACB director-general D.Boobathi Babu said in a press release on Saturday.
``A case was registered on March 27 pertaining to a fraud committed in auction of liquor shops in Vizianagaram district in 2010.
Investigation done so far has revealed that these are not ordinary cases of corruption but several ingredients of organised crime are observed.
ACB, with limited resources, is determined to act against all those involved in these cases,’’ he said.
Initial enquiry has revealed that 33 licence-holders are working as petty employees or casual labourers or employees in the same wine shops which they are supposed to own.