Mandi Hooch case: Machine used in illegal liquor plant seized from Baddi trader

Solan, February 3

In a breakthrough, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing into the Mandi hooch case seized a machine used at the illegal liquor bottling plant at Gujjarhatti in Nalagarh subdivision from a trader in Baddi last evening.

The recovery was made on the information provided by Santosh Kumar, whom the SIT had arrested on January 27. Santosh was working as a contractor at Baddi but was also clandestinely operating the bottling plant. The recovery of the machine corroborates his role in the bottling plant operation.

Santosh had hidden the machine after the January 19 hooch tragedy. Three others involved in operating the plant had fled after the incident. The SIT, however, arrested them from Baroda in Madhya Pradesh on January 30.

Mandi SP Shalini Agnihotri said, “The SIT recovered a machine used in a bottling plant in Nalagarh subdivision from a Baddi trader Tuesday evening. An accused arrested by the SIT had hidden it there which was recovered on the basis of information provided by him. It is a crucial evidence, which corroborates his involvement in running the illegal bottling plant”.

The police had raided the bottling plant at Gujjarhatti folloawing information provided by Gaurav Minhas, alias Goru, who is the key accused of this inter-state illegal liquor trade. Seven persons had died in the hooch tragedy while 12 others were taken ill.