Gang selling cheap liquor in premium bottles busted in Shamshabad; Rs 8 lakh worth alcohol seized

Hyderabad: A liquor adulteration racket in the city was exposed for mixing low-cost liquor into premium bottles and selling them at high prices. The Shamshabad DTF Excise officials on Wednesday busted the operation following a series of raids and inspections.

The excise team seized a large quantity of adulterated liquor and arrested five members of the gang.

Massive seizure of liquor and equipment valued at Rs 8 lakh

During the operation, officials seized 139 bottles of adulterated premium liquor, 136 empty premium liquor bottles and three scooters used for transportation. The total value of the seized liquor and materials is estimated at Rs 8 lakh.

How the racket was exposed

As part of routine route watch duty near the Gachibowli flyover–Indiranagar stretch, the excise team noticed two persons transporting liquor bottles on a scooter. On inspection, the bottles, labelled as premium brands, were found to contain adulterated liquor. The two suspects, Desini Prakash Goud and Gadwal Bharat, were arrested on the spot.

During questioning, they revealed that the liquor bottles were sourced from the house of Prakash Goud’s brother, Aravind, in Kukatpally Housing Board.

Raids at multiple locations

Based on the information, excise officials conducted searches at Aravind’s residence and seized 46 bottles of premium liquor.

Further investigation led the team to Buchhidev Mahanti, a native of Odisha, who was involved in preparing the adulterated liquor. A raid at Mahanti’s residence resulted in the seizure of 54 liquor bottles.

Another accused, Vikram, was also searched, and 24 liquor bottles were recovered from him.

Modus Operandi

The investigation revealed that the gang purchased empty bottles of high-end liquor brands from bars and other sources. These bottles were refilled with cheaper liquor, such as Royal Stag and other low-cost brands and then sold as premium liquor.

Bottles originally priced at around Rs 20,000 were being sold for about Rs 10,000, cheating consumers and making illegal profits. The gang was supplying adulterated liquor to bars and various public functions across the city.

Officials warn consumers about health hazards

Shamshabad Excise Superintendent Krishna Priya cautioned the public not to fall for offers promising premium liquor at unusually low prices. She warned that such adulterated liquor poses serious health risks and urged consumers to purchase liquor only from authorised outlets.

Ranga Reddy District Deputy Commissioner P Dasharath congratulated the DTF excise team for successfully exposing the racket. The arrested accused and the seized liquor were handed over to the Serilingampally Excise Station for further legal action. A case has been registered.