Illegal Liquor-Making Unit Busted in Tirupattur, Two Arrested
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Police in Tirupattur district carried out a surprise raid on a village near Vaniyambadi town after receiving a complaint about an illegal liquor-making operation. The raid led to the arrest of two men accused of brewing and selling arrack, a cheap and often unsafe homemade liquor.
The arrested men were identified as 52-year-old K. Perumal and 26-year-old S. Rajesh, both residents of Kothakottai village. Acting on specific information, a police team searched multiple locations in the village and eventually discovered the illegal unit tucked away on a piece of farmland.
When the two men spotted the approaching police team, they tried to flee the scene. However, officers managed to catch them before they could escape. The police then destroyed several barrels containing the illegally brewed liquor along with the manufacturing setup itself.
This raid was not an isolated action. It was carried out under the direction of Tirupattur's Superintendent of Police, Akshay Anil Wakhare, who has set up special police teams tasked with cracking down on illegal activities in the district. These teams have been asked to target the sale of banned or restricted substances, including narcotics like ganja and smokeless tobacco products such as gutka, alongside illicit liquor.
Following the arrest, police registered a criminal case against Perumal and Rajesh. Both men have been sent to a sub-jail in Tirupattur while the investigation continues. Police say further inquiries are underway to determine the full scale of the operation and whether others were involved in supplying or distributing the arrack.
Such crackdowns are a routine but important part of local policing in many parts of Tamil Nadu, where illegal liquor production has long posed health and law-and-order concerns. Homemade arrack is often unregulated, meaning it can contain harmful substances and pose serious health risks to consumers.
The formation of special police teams signals a broader, sustained effort by district authorities to stamp out the underground trade in contraband, rather than treating such busts as one-off incidents.
Why it matters
Illegal arrack production is a persistent public health and safety concern in many Indian states because unregulated homemade liquor can be contaminated or dangerously strong, sometimes leading to poisoning or death among consumers. Such busts also reflect ongoing efforts by district police to curb the shadow economy around banned substances, which often escapes taxation and regulation while causing social harm. The setting up of dedicated special teams shows that local authorities are treating this as a sustained enforcement priority rather than isolated incidents, which matters for public health, law enforcement effectiveness, and trust in local governance.
Test yourself
1. What were the two arrested men accused of doing?
2. In which district did this arrest take place?
3. What were the names of the two arrested individuals?
4. Where did police find the illegal arrack-making unit?
5. Who directed the special police teams to prevent illegal activities in the district?
6. What did the accused try to do when they saw the police team?
7. What did police destroy after the raid?
8. Besides arrack, what other contraband are the special police teams targeting?
9. Where were the arrested men lodged after the case was registered?
10. What triggered the police raid on the village?
Your notes
Source: The Hindu