1L kg ‘lahan’, 1,780 ltr illicit liquor seized in Amrtisar

Tribune News Service

Lopoke (Amritsar), March 1

In an early morning swoop, the Excise and Taxation Department along with Punjab Police today seized over 1 lakh kg ‘lahan’ (raw material mixed for distillation of illicit liquor) along with 1,780 litres of illicit liquor from Khiala Kalan village falling under the Lopoke police station here.

Eight persons, including three women, were arrested during a six-hour raid conducted on 11 houses at the village. As per excise officials, a ‘mini-illegal distillery’ was found operational with pipes laid underground to drain the waste material generated after the distillation of illicit liquor.

Those arrested were identified as Kuldeep Singh, Satnam Singh, Ravinder Singh, Dharamvir Singh, Harjinder Singh, Savinder Kaur, Preeti and Simranjit Kaur. Jaspinder Singh, Deputy Commissioner, Excise, said the suspects were involved in the supply of illicit liquor in Amritsar, Tarn Taran and Gurdaspur areas after filling it in polythene bags.

Before the raid, a recee of the village was done by informants. During the raid, which started at 5 am, the teams searched houses and made recoveries in seven houses owned by the accused.

“They had built underground RCC pits to conceal drums for fermentation of ‘lahan’, which was then shifted to other drums for heating and distilling,” he said. A pipeline was laid underground to drain the waste produced after distillation process, he said.

Avtar Singh Kang, Assistant Commissioner, Excise, said it was the first time modern means of distillation had been unearthed by the team. The accused used commercial gas cylinders and branded yeast to process huge quantities of illicit liquor. The teams seized six LPG gas cylinders from the spot.

The seizure included 1.09 lakh kg ‘lahan’, 1,780 litres of illicit liquor, six working stills, 62 drums (200 litre capacity each), 31 plastic cans (100 litre each), two water tanks (500 litres each), two plastic drums (50 litres) and 11 plastic cans (35 litres) besides tarpaulin.

Amritsar (Rural) SP Shailnder Singh said the accused faced 17 cases.

Shopkeepers booked

The Excise Department has booked two shopkeepers for supplying jaggery in bulk to the suspects

Pipeline to drain waste

• Underground reinforced cement concrete (RCC) pits were built to conceal drums for fermentation of ‘lahan’
• A pipeline was laid underground to drain waste after distillation process
• Suspects supplied illicit liquor in Amritsar, Tarn Taran and Gurdaspur areas

1L kg ‘lahan’, 1,780 ltr illicit liquor seized in Amrtisar
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