In a major breakthrough, Kalamna police have unearthed a large-scale liquor adulteration racket that had allegedly been running for nearly a decade. The accused were refilling branded liquor bottles with water and selling them as original products. Seven persons have been arrested, and materials worth ?30.38 lakh, including adulterated liquor, vehicles, and packaging equipment, have been seized.
The arrested accused were identified as Mahendra Rambhau Bambal (43), Nikhil alias Nikku Raju Nantkar (28), Narayan alias Bunty Banduji Motharkar (35), Ibrahim alias Babbu Khan Pathan (40), Roshan Rakesh Sahu (34), Gajendra Tijuram Sahu (36), and Maniram alias Rahul Koleshwar Paswan (25).
According to the police, Paswan worked as a scrap dealer who supplied empty liquor bottles, caps, and boxes collected from waste. The other accused were transporters handling liquor consignments worth lakhs of rupees daily. During transit, they would stop at pre-decided spots, break the seals, pour out the liquor, and replace it with water. The extracted liquor was diluted, refilled into old bottles, resealed, and sold to bar and wine shop employees at half the market rate. These, in turn, were sold at regular prices, generating massive profits.
Acting on specific information, police intercepted Mahendra Bambal near Chikhli Square while delivering liquor to Sharjah Bar. A box containing bottles with mismatched batch numbers raised suspicion, leading to the unearthing of the racket. Raids at various locations led to the recovery of four pick-up vehicles and 135 litres of adulterated liquor worth ?2.38 lakh.
Police suspect that several bar workers and liquor traders were part of the network. The probe is being conducted under the supervision of DCP Niketan Kadam by PI Pravin Kale, API Shashikant Musle, and their team.
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