TIRUPATI: Tiruchanoor police unearthed an illegal liquor manufacturing unit operating from a rented house, and arrested one person during a cordon and search operation on Saturday morning.
The unit was unearthed at Padipeta Panchayat, Seshadri Nagar Indiramma Colony. Acting on instructions from senior officials, Sub-Inspector TV Sudhakar and his team conducted search around 7 am.
At House No. F-8, Block No. 40, the police noticed a strong smell of liquor. In the presence of local elders, they searched the premises and found liquor being manufactured illegally. The accused was identified as Chintagunta Ramaswamy Nagesh Reddy (39), a native of Gopalapatnam in Visakhapatnam district, who rented the house in Seshadri Nagar.
Police said the accused, facing financial difficulties and addicted to alcohol, learned to manufacture liquor by watching YouTube videos.
He was making wine at home using black grapes, sugar, wheat, yeast and spices, including cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, fennel, nutmeg, flower and bay leaves.
The mixture was fermented in a drum and bottled in reused containers, which he sold for Rs 300 each.
From the house, police seized four bottles (1,000 ml each) of non-duty-paid liquor, 33 bottles (750 ml each) of locally manufactured liquor, six litres of fermented liquor stored in a drum, and packets of spices used in the process. In total, 34.75 litres of illicit liquor was seized.
A case was registered under Sections 34(e) and 35 of the Andhra Pradesh Excise Act. The accused was arrested and remanded to judicial custody. Further investigation is being carried out jointly by the police and the Excise Department.