Raids In Bhubaneswar’s Salia Sahi, Huge Quantity Of Country Liquor Seized, Illegal Units Bulldozed

Bhubaneswar: The Commissionerate Police on Saturday seized huge quantity of country liquor during a raid at Salia Sahi in Bhubaneswar.

The raid led by DCP Prateek Singh also saw illegal country liquor units being razed to the ground.

“The units were operating at government land. There will be zero tolerance against such units. We will destroy all such houses where liquor is being manufactured illegally,” the DCP told reporters.

He further said that people here also engaged in illegal trading of country liquor and their links along with the receivers will be traced.

An underground chamber was reportedly found inside a room during the raid and this is being suspected that illegal trading of country liquor was going on inside it. Luxurious goods including Wi-Fi facilities were also found in the chamber.

Police sources said 11,500 litre of country liquor and 50,000 litre of pocha (fermented rice) were seized and three persons detained during the raid. Ten units, where liquor was being manufactured illegally, were also identified. Similar action will be taken against illegal liquor factories operating in different slums of Bhubaneswar, the sources added.

This comes a day after Excise Minister Prithiviraj Harichandan told the Assembly that all illegal liquor shops that had come up during the previous BJD regime will be razed while asserting a crack down on illicit liquor production and trade amid Opposition demand for his resignation over the hooch tragedy in Ganjam district.