Bhuj: Gujarat Police on Tuesday busted a fake liquor factory and seized around 10,000 empty and filled bottles of a popular Indian-made foreign liquor (IMFL) brand in Kutch district, with two persons detained in connection with the operation, officials said.
The action comes days after 13 people died in Bhavnagar district of the state after consuming spurious liquor packed in bottles carrying the label of a popular IMFL brand. Police have so far arrested 27 people in the case.
Talking about the operation in Kutch, Inspector General of Police (IGP), Border Range, Chirag Koradiya said, "Around 9,400 empty bottles and 600 others filled with 180 ml liquor were seized along with 600 litres of chemicals from a makeshift factory at Adipur in the district."
"Some empty and filled liquor bottles and chemicals have been seized. We have detained two accused. Further action is underway," he said.
The accused have been identified as Hitesh Bamaniya, a resident of Mumbai, and Vijendra Jat, who is from Mathura in Uttar Pradesh, he said.
Gujarat is a 'dry' state, where the manufacture, sale and consumption of alcohol is banned.
In the Bhavnagar incident, the victims consumed spurious liquor packed in bottles bearing the name of a popular IMFL brand.
The Gujarat Police's State Monitoring Cell (SMC), a special police unit that tracks state-wide illicit liquor and gambling operations, is carrying out a multi-state investigation into the Bhavnagar hooch tragedy.
The teams are investigating the source of the methanol and other chemicals, the transporters involved, and those involved in procuring and transporting the raw materials used to manufacture spurious liquor.
According to officials, 67 people had consumed the liquor containing methanol, a highly toxic substance.