Bhubaneswar: Ahead of Holi festival, officials of the Excise Department officials conducted a raid in Salia Sahi in Bhubaneswar and seized a huge quantity of country liquor and raw material on Friday.
Acting on a tip-off, the team carried out the search operation in the area early on Friday and unearthed the illegal liquor den in the capital city.
Sources said the officials destroyed the confiscated liquor on the spot. The search operation was still in progress as part of the crackdown on illegal liquor business.
A senior Excise department official said that the authorities have intensified the crackdown in view of the Holi festival. During the raid in Salia Sahi, the team has seized over 1000 litres of liquor and arrested nine persons so far.
The team comprising 25 Excise Department officials is carrying the search operation against illegal liquor trade.