PATIALA: A fake alcohol-based sanitiser manufacturing unit was busted in Rajapura during a joint operation by the excise department, Patiala police, IRB and health department on Thursday evening.
The excise officials and the police recovered a large number of cans of 5 litres capacity each along with 4,000 bottles of sanitizer having labels of Ethyl Alcohol.
Besides, a large quantity of empty bottles, lids and labels were also recovered during the raid. The officials also seized 35-liter spirit-like fluid and many sanitiser pressure pumps.
The officials said that the raid was conducted at the focal point of Rajpura and a house in Shaheed Bhagat Singh Block of Rajpura city.
The officials learnt that a huge stock was shifted to some other place by the factory owner.
“The owner of this factory did not have the L42-B license of the department nor has the drug license been obtained from the health department. One of the accused has been identified as Aman Saggi but he is out of our reach and further investigation is underway. However, fake home-made sanitizers have been recovered in large quantity from his house. In the factory, there was only a security guard who did not know what happened inside. We inquired from neighbours and learnt about the house where accused used to stay. After raiding the house, we recovered a huge stock of fake sanitizers, bottles, cans and ethyl alcohol. In this house, an elderly man was sitting who was unable to speak properly. No arrests have been made so far but soon the accused factory owner will be nabbed,” said Naresh Dubey, joint commissioner, excise department.