380 litres lahan, two liquor drums seized in raid on illegal distilleries

Cracking the whip on illegal liquor manufacturing, a Majra police team, led by Paonta Sahib Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Aditi Singh, successfully dismantled two illicit distilleries in the Haripur Khol forest area.

Growing menace

• The operation is part of a broader initiative launched by the Sirmaur police to curtail the growing illegal liquor trade in the region
• Paonta Sahib has become a hotspot for liquor smuggling due to the price disparity between Himachal Pradesh and neighbouring states of Punjab and Haryana, where alcohol is cheaper

Acting on a tip-off, the police raided the remote site and seized 380 litres of lahan (raw material used to produce alcohol) and two drums containing illegal liquor. They also found two tubes containing illicit liquor. All the makeshift equipment being used for the production of illicit liquor was destroyed on-site. The operation is part of a broader initiative launched by the Sirmaur police under the directives of the district’s police chief to curtail the growing illegal liquor trade in the region.

Paonta Sahib, a border area in Sirmaur, has become a hotspot for liquor smuggling due to the price disparity between Himachal Pradesh and neighbouring states of Punjab and Haryana, where alcohol is cheaper. This price difference has encouraged a rise in smuggling activities, with the police intensifying their vigilance to address this issue.

The SDPO said the special campaign against illicit liquor production would continue until the district was free from such operations. Individuals involved in this unlawful trade would not be spared, she added.