Sri Vijaya Puram, July 13: South Andaman Police have intensified action against the illegal liquor trade across the district, carrying out a series of excise enforcement operations over the past week that led to the seizure of Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL), illicit handia and fermented wash used for manufacturing country liquor. Multiple cases have been registered under the relevant provisions of the Excise Regulation as police continued targeted operations based on intelligence inputs and routine patrolling.
The enforcement drive covered several police station jurisdictions, with the largest seizure reported by Police Station Pahargaon. Acting during an operation near the Vegetable Market, the police recovered 93 bottles of IMFL from a room. The operation was led by Inspector Sahil Shamsuddin, SHO, Police Station Pahargaon.
In a separate operation, Police Station Pahargaon also seized eight bottles of illicit IMFL near NK Crusher at Kamaraj Nagar from a habitual excise offender who, according to police, has multiple previous involvements in similar cases. Police said the operations reflect sustained enforcement efforts against the illegal liquor trade in the area.
Police Station Ograbraj conducted a jungle search operation at Ram Nagar, where officers detected 50 litres of lehan, or fermented wash, stored in plastic containers for the preparation of illicit liquor. Following the prescribed procedure, the entire quantity was destroyed on the spot after photography and videography to prevent its use for illegal liquor production.
Meanwhile, during routine patrolling at Ongi Tikrey in Little Andaman, a team from Police Station Hut Bay recovered 18 kilograms of illicit handia concealed behind a residence. The seizure included 14 kilograms stored in a plastic bucket and another four kilograms kept in an aluminium container. Police collected samples for chemical examination and registered a case under Section 32 of Regulation III of 1876.
Additional enforcement actions were also carried out by Police Station Aberdeen, Police Station Humfrygunj and Police Station Hut Bay. During these operations, police seized multiple bottles of IMFL from Ratna Market, Wandoor and V.K. Pur in Little Andaman. Cases have been registered under the applicable provisions of the Excise Regulation, and further investigations are underway.
Police stated that the coordinated operations were carried out through intelligence gathering, targeted enforcement drives and regular patrolling across South Andaman district to curb the illegal possession, sale, transportation and manufacture of liquor.
South Andaman Police reiterated its zero-tolerance approach towards excise violations and stated that strict legal action will continue against those found involved in illegal liquor-related activities.
The police have also appealed to members of the public to support the ongoing enforcement campaign by sharing information regarding illegal liquor, narcotics or any other unlawful activities with the nearest police station or through Police Emergency Helpline 112. Police said the identity of informants will be kept strictly confidential.
