An alarmingly large quantity of liquor is being smuggled in from Karnataka and Telangana into Kurnool. The inflow is due to the fact that some brands of liquor are cheaper in the neighbouring States than in Andhra Pradesh. Even a small price reduction of ₹10 per bottle would add up when purchased in bulk.

Sources say that the licensed shops have increased the prices – in some instances more than ₹50 per bottle – in order to make a quick buck, which has turned the people over to belt shops which offer mostly smuggled products at a relatively cheaper price.

Speaking with The Hindu, district Excise Superintendent R. Sudhakar said that unlike in other districts, the belt shops in Kurnool were mostly mobile.

“One person crosses the border with his bike, purchases the alcohol and comes back to the village to sell the product at a hiked price,” said Mr.Sudhakar.

The mobility makes tracking the perpetrators tough, especially when the check-posts are set up on major roads while the smugglers use minor and dirt roads. Even if one vendor is arrested, another would immediately take up the role due to the high demand.

The excise officials have set up three enforcement teams, two task force teams and a mobile party vehicle in order to crack down on these ‘shops’. The officials have also alerted all the station house officers in the district to register cases against any licensed outlets that have hiked the prices.

Since January licences of 10 liquor shops have been suspended in the district. Officials claim that Kurnool stood second in the State in the matter of liquor seized/destroyed. It is estimated that ₹2.60 crore worth liquor has been seized since January.

Major hubs

Mr.Sudhakar said the major hubs where alcohol is smuggled in are Adoni, Kowthalam and Kosigi mandals in the northwestern part of Kurnool and border Karnataka.

Sources in the area say that the people of these interior regions of the district are forced to depend on the mobile belt shops due to a dearth of licensed shops.