Prime accused held in Andhra liquor racket

THe Andhra Pradesh prohibition era and excise tax section authorities on fri even detained Addepalli Janardhan Rao, the prime accused in a large-scale fake liquor racket that first surfaced in Mulakalacheruvu of Annamayya district last week, an official familiar with the development said.Janardhan Rao, who had been absconding for the last two weeks and was believed to be in South Africa, returned to Vijayawada on Friday evening. As soon as he landed at Gannavaram airport, the excise authorities took him into custody, the official said, adding he would be produced before the court on Saturday following a due procedure.On Thursday, the department suspended its senior circle inspector Himabindu Reddy, who was heading the enforcement team in Mulakalacheruvu, on the ground of abetting the illegal liquor manufacturing.“Preliminary inquiry has revealed that Himabindu was very much aware of the illegal liquor manufacturing in Mulakalacheruvu. She was initially transferred to Vijayawada excise commissioner’s office three days ago, but further investigation suggested her involvement in the racket. Hence, she was placed under suspension,” Rayachoti excise superintendent Madhusudhan Rao said.On Friday, the district excise authorities submitted a memorandum to the Thamballapalle court, adding seven more persons to the list of accused. They include suspended Telugu Desam Party leader Jayachandra Reddy, who was named as accused no. 17 (A-17), his brother-in-law Giridhar Reddy (A-18), Balaji, Anburasu, Ravi, Ashraf, and Sudarshan. With this, the total number of accused in the case has risen from 14 to 21.An official familiar with the case said the department authorities had launched a manhunt for Janardhan Rao, named as A-1 in the case. “At present, he has been absconding and is believed to be in South Africa. We have information that he is trying for anticipatory bail by approaching the high court through his lawyers,” the official said.Two special teams have been deployed to Bengaluru airport to apprehend him on the information that Janardhan Rao might land there anytime on Friday.HOW THE CASE UNFOLDEDThe racket came to light when the enforcement team of the prohibition and excise department intercepted a vehicle on suspicion during regular checks in Mulakalacheruvu village of Pedda Tippa Samudram block. “The officials scanned the barcodes on the liquor bottles leading to exposure of scam,” an excise department official said.Acting on a tip off, the prohibition and excise department sleuths raided a liquor manufacturing unit at Mulakalacheruvu village on October 3 and seized spurious liquor stocks and materials worth nearly ₹1.75 crore.“The operation which continued till Sunday, led to the seizure of over 15,000 bottles of fake liquor, 1,050 litres of spirit, 1,500 litres of blended stock, 10,000 empty bottles, caps, stickers, labelling equipment, and a transport vehicle,” an excise department official said.Further investigations revealed that it is a well-organised network spanning multiple districts. The racket was masterminded by Janardhan Rao, who allegedly ran the operation with the help of his brother Jaganmohan Rao.The brothers allegedly produced spurious liquor in Mulakalacheruvu by mixing rectified spirit, malt, and caramel, before transporting it to Ibrahimpatnam in NTR district for bottling and packaging. Labourers hired on trust were involved in the production and distribution, ensuring the fake liquor reached wine shops and belt shops across various districts.The investigation picked up pace after excise teams discovered strong links between the Mulakalacheruvu unit and bottling facilities in Ibrahimpatnam. Acting on this information, officials raided two warehouses belonging to Janardhan Rao and seized sealing machines, fake labels, hologram stickers, and packaging cartons.The liquor was found packed in quarter bottles bearing labels of popular brands. The packaging was so convincing that distinguishing it from genuine brands was almost impossible, the official quoted above said.Authorities are also mapping Janardhan Rao’s business network, tracing his financial transactions, and questioning his close aides. He allegedly left for an African country on September 24, just before the raids, and has not returned since.YSR Congress party demanded a thorough investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the alleged manufacture and circulation of spurious liquor in the state.YSRCP parliamentarian P V Midhun Reddy on Thursday wrote to Union home minister Amit Shah stating that the racket has grown into a large-scale, organized interstate crime and can no longer be treated as a local law and order issue.He pointed out that recent enforcement operations have exposed illegal units, including one at Mulakalacheruvu in Annamayya district within his constituency. “Large dumps of counterfeit liquor bottles, caps, and packaging materials have been seized, and preliminary investigations show links to an organized network spread across districts and state boundaries,” he said.The MP urged the Union Home Ministry to order a CBI probe with the involvement of the Narcotics Control Bureau, State Police, Excise, CBIC, and FSSAI.