Fake liquor racket jolts TDP; 2 leaders suspended

 Tirupati: The unearthing of a large-scale fake liquor racket in Mulakalacheruvu of Thamballapalle constituency in Annamayya district has jolted the ruling TDP, prompting the leadership to take swift disciplinary action. On Sunday night, the party suspended Tamballapalle constituency incharge Dasaripalle Jayachandra Reddy and local leader Katta Surendra Naidu after their close associates were named among the prime accused.

The racket came to light when prohibition and excise officials, acting on a tip-off, raided a sophisticated illegal distillery operating out of a rented facility near the Mumbai–Chennai National Highway.

The unit was allegedly producing counterfeit versions of popular liquor brands such as Bangalore Brandy and Kerala Malted Whisky. Officials said the fake bottles bore authentic-looking labels and scannable barcodes, making them nearly indistinguishable from genuine products.

During the raid, investigators seized a diary that listed around 18 belt shop operators believed to have purchased the spurious liquor — among them, a former public representative. The political angle of the case deepened as probes revealed that A1 Janardhan Rao, the main accused, is a close associate of the suspended Jayachandra Reddy.

Another accused, A5 Rajesh, was reportedly Reddy’s personal assistant. Taking serious note of these links, the TDP leadership ordered a full-scale internal probe and dispatched senior leaders to Tamballapalle for an on-ground review.

Officials said the syndicate’s operations were well planned. After three days of surveillance, they discovered that the accused used a milk transport business as a cover. Drivers were reportedly instructed to claim they were carrying milk if intercepted by authorities. The illicit liquor was distributed across Tamballapalle, Sri Sathya Sai, and Chittoor districts, with supplies even reaching Vijayawada and Guntur.

Kadapa excise deputy commissioner Jayaraju confirmed that ten people have been arrested so far.

In a related development, authorities seized Andhra Wines, a liquor outlet on the Andhra–Karnataka border, and arrested its owner Katta Surendra Naidu after finding fake liquor in his possession.

The investigation has since widened.

Excise teams are now conducting raids in Vijayawada, targeting the network of Janardhan Rao, who reportedly fled to South Africa four days ago. Searches are underway in Vijayawada, Ibrahimpatnam, and Mallela village to trace the absconding accused. Several belt shop operators, fearing arrest after their names surfaced in the seized diary, are said to be on the run.

The case took another turn when Surendra Naidu, during interrogation, alleged that Jayachandra Reddy and another local leader, Giridhar Reddy, were also involved.

Investigators are now following financial trails and cross-verifying the names mentioned in the diary, which officials describe as the ‘key document’ in cracking the entire network.