As part of a massive crackdown on illegal liquor distillers and manufacturers, the Prohibition and Excise department sleuths busted a fake liquor manufacturing network with its operations detected at Mulakalacheruvu in Annamayya district. The officials seized spurious liquor stocks and materials worth nearly ₹1.75 crore.
The crackdown during the peak of the Dussehra season prompted Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu to review the case and issue directions to officials to ensure strict action against those involved, “with zero tolerance to illicit liquor.” The episode gained political significance following the suspension of key Telugu Desam Party cadres on charges of alleged links to the racket in the district.
The scam, reportedly engineered by Addepalli Janardhan Rao, a bar license holder from Vijayawada, was being operated from a rented portion in Mulakalacheruvu. The accused, along with his associate Raju, allegedly hired labourers from Tamil Nadu and Odisha to manufacture and prepare counterfeit liquor under popular brand labels. The contraband stocks would then be distributed to several outlets in the Tamballapalle constituency, including liquor outlets in Pedda Tippa Samudram and Mulakalacheruvu mandals. The officials seized the outlets found to be involved in the scam.
The racket surfaced when the Excise Enforcement teams intercepted a vehicle on suspicion during regular checks in the PTM mandal. While scanning the barcodes on the bottles, it led to the exposure of discrepancies, which prompted the officials to go on a spree of raids across the district. At Kadirinathunikota village, a full-fledged illegal distillery unit was detected, and the same was seized.
The operation, launched between October 1 and October 5, led to the seizure of over 15,000 bottles of fake liquor, 1,050 litres of spirit, 1,500 litres of blended stock, 10,000 empty bottles, caps, stickers, labeling equipment, and a transport vehicle.
The officials said that so far, about 14 persons had been identified, and out of them, as many as 10 accused were taken into custody. The accused included the operators from Tamil Nadu, Odisha, and Andhra Pradesh. As Mr. Janardhan Rao is found to be on a trip abroad, a special team is formed to track him and bring him back to Vijayawada.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, who reviewed the issue with Minister for Excise Kollu Ravindra, Principal Secretary Mukesh Kumar Meena, Enforcement Director Rahul Dev Sharma, and Excise Commissioner Sridhar, on Sunday night cautioned that “spurious liquor will have zero tolerance anywhere in the State.” The Chief Minister instructed the enforcement officials to launch vigorous raids and step up border surveillance, and galvanize the intelligence network, besides coordinating with neighboring states of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, and Telangana to snap the supply chain of hazardous industrial spirit and contraband packaging material.
In another development, the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) on Monday (October 06) suspended one Jayachandra Reddy, the party’s Thamballapalle Assembly constituency in-charge, and local TDP leader Katta Surendra Naidu, following their alleged involvement in the racket. TDP State president Palla Srinivasa Rao said that disciplinary action would be taken against them as per the directions from the Chief Minister.
Senior officials of the Excise and Prohibition wing from Vijayawada and Kadapa circle have been camping in Rayachoti, Madanapalle, and Rajampeta sub-divisions of Annamayya district, as part of further plans to launch new raids and make more arrests. A senior official termed the operation “a major breakthrough against a well-organised inter-State syndicate.”
Published – October 06, 2025 04:50 pm IST
