In Abohar, canal banks emerge as hotspots for illicit liquor distillation

Our Correspondent

Abohar, August 13

Recoveries made by the police with the help of the Excise Department teams recently indicate that banks of at least two canals in Abohar subdivision continue to emerge as hotspots for distilling liquor illegally. Supply and consumption of such liquor witnesses upsurge before and during the elections to panchayats, Assemblies and Lok Sabha in the past, sources said.

The Excise Department conducted a search operation near a canal in Chanankhera and Ghattianwali villages today. During the search, 25,000 litres of illicit lahan (raw liquor) was recovered and destroyed. Some items used in distillation were also recovered by the police team by digging near the canal.

Inspector Nirmal Singh said such liquor is very dangerous and the drive would be successful if people completely boycott such illegal products.

On July 21, Khuian Sarwar and Sriganganagar police, in a joint operation, had destroyed around 50,000 litres of lahan along the banks of the Gang Canal near the inters-state border.

On July 11, Hindumalkot and Khuian Sarwar police, in a joint action, along with teams of the Excise Department, had conducted a search operation in the area around the Gang Canal and it was a huge success. The police recovered about 1.26 lakh litres of lahan dumped on the banks of the canal by illegally operating liquor mafia and destroyed it on the spot.

Police said the smugglers had hidden lahan by pressing it in drums in the ground on the banks of the canal, which was detected and destroyed on the spot.

As the Hindumalkot area is adjacent to the Punjab and Rajasthan border, liquor mafia often distil and stack illegal liquor near the canals so that it can be easily transported to Punjab and Rajasthan.