The Tiruppur District Police on Thursday seized 6,912 bottles of liquor that were allegedly smuggled from Karnataka in violation of COVID-19 lockdown and arrested three persons at Kunnathur near Avinashi in connection with the alleged smuggling.
According to the police, a team comprising Additional Deputy Superintendent of Police P. Kannan, Deputy Superintendent of Police (Avinashi) L. Baskar and Kunnathur police Inspector Masutha Begam inspected a private travel agency on Uthukuli Main Road at around 6 a.m. based on a tip-off.
The team searched the premises and found boxes of liquor bottles that were hidden in the vehicles and in the toilets of the building. Following this, the police seized the 6,912 bottles containing 1,244 litres of liquor along with three vehicles – a car and two mini trucks – that were allegedly used to smuggle the liquor, the police said.
The Kunnathur police registered a case against the three under sections of the Tamil Nadu Prohibition Act and remanded them in judicial custody on Thursday. Further investigations are on.
Salem
The district forest department destroyed over 7,241 litres of illicit arrack distilled within the forest ranges during the lockdown period and cases were also registered against violators.
District Forest Officer R. Murugan said in a release that across the nine forest ranges in the Salem district 7,241 litres were seized and destroyed between April 1 and June 19.
