KALLAKURICHI: A special police team from Cuddalore arrested four individuals from a spurious liquor manufacturing facility within Kalvarayan Hills on Monday. The police said the investigation unfolded a week ago when a counterfeit liquor peddler was arrested from Vadalur in Cuddalore. During interrogation, he said that the liquor was sourced from Kalvarayan Hills. A specialised team was thus formed under the leadership of Cuddalore superintendent of police R Rajaram who initiated a search operation at the hills.
“On Monday, the team successfully located the operational unit in the village of Naduthoradipattu. Upon inspection, they seized raw materials used for the production of counterfeit liquor, labels, empty bottles, caps, cardboard boxes, and various other equipment used for sealing. A total of 454 liquor bottles packed in boxes for distribution were also seized,” said a police source.
The arrested individuals were identified as D Mookan alias Vengatesan (35) of Naduthoradipattu in Kallakurichi, V Kuber alias Kubendiran (50) of Thenkuthu in Cuddalore, M Veeran alias Balakrishnan (48) of Sathankulam in Tuticorin, and S Riyaz Ahammed (41) of Poraiyur near Tiruchendur. The confiscated items and the suspects were handed over to the Prohibition Enforcement Wing in Kallakurichi for further investigation.
During interrogation, the suspects detailed their process of sourcing various components from different locations and manufacturing duplicate liquor under the guise of renowned brands. “These counterfeit items were then distributed in several districts. The investigation into this web of illegal activities is currently underway,” added the police source.