Two days after a gas-powered liquor brewing unit (haath-bhatti) was busted in the Dhaavgi area of Uttan, officials from the newly created Mira Bhayandar-Vasai Virar (MBVV) Police Commissionerate unearthed another similar den in Bhayandar (west) on Thursday.
The spate of raids has yet again exposed the blind eye turned by the excise officials towards the illegal activities of the notorious liquor mafia who have been brazenly registering their presence in the rural areas of Bhayandar (west) and coastal belt of Uttan, despite the police action. Notably, the excise department is headed by the district collector.
Acting on a specific tip-off by an informant, a team led by Senior Police Inspector Chandrakant Jadhav under the supervision of ACP Shashikant Bhosale swooped down on the illicit manufacturing unit that had been set up near the creeks adjacent to Manek Agar in the Rai village area of Bhayandar.
Raw ingredients including fermented jaggery wash and manufacturing equipment worth more than Rs 30,000 was seized and destroyed by the police team. The police arrested a person identified as Gajanan Hareshwar Patil who operated the unit.
Isolated zones running deep into the jungles and marshy land in and around the villages of Bhayandar continue to be the favourite destinations for local brewers.
"We will continue our actions against illicit liquor," said police commissioner Sadanand Date. Meanwhile a case under section 65 F (uses, keeps or has in his possession any materials, still utensils, implements or apparatus for the purpose of manufacturing any intoxicant) against the accused who has been remanded to custody.
Further investigations were underway.
Brewing a Deadly Mix!
From urea to methanol and even rotten jaggery, the notorious bootleggers have been using all sorts of material to brew illicit hooch for quick fermentation and a strong kick. Apart from affecting the liver, kidney and respiratory system, these chemicals when used in disproportionate proportions turn the booze into an extremely poisonous drink which can claim the lives of those consuming it, like the Malwani tragedy in Malad which had left around 100 people dead due to the consumption of spurious liquor in 2015.