Chennai: Three Maharashtra women sell arrack on Marina

CHENNAI: Three women from Maharashtra, who had been selling arrack on the sands of the Marina for six months after burying the bottles underground, were nabbed on Monday. About 40 litres of arrack were seized and a court sent B Sunantha, 65, J Gethus Goslaya, 30, and S Shilpa, 25, to prison.
Inquiries revealed that the women, natives of Amravati in that state, stayed on the pavement near the Kannagi statue along the Marina promenade and carried out their trade. They went either to Andhra Pradesh or Maharashtra once every fortnight and came back by train, bringing the arrack in water cans. They sold it to those looking for cheaper alternative to liquor sold at Tasmac outlets.
“Bottles thrown by visitors to the beach were collected and filled with 500 ml of arrack that was sold for ₹50. A few people living in the vicinity of the beach knew about the sale. They targeted fishermen putting out to sea early in the morning and traders returning homer late the night,” said a police officer.
For the trade they chose a place close to where they hid the cans in a deep pit to avoid suspicion of police who came for patrolling. The area where they had buried was not lit, so it was easy for them to operate at night and early in the morning, he said. “Sometimes, balloon traders brought in customers,” the officer said. The three women visited their families when they brought the goods and managed to evade checks on trains. On the few occasions that they were checked they managed to sail through saying it was purified water.
Police, who secured the women on a tip-off, found they were not involved in any other offences in TN.