Liquor racket busted in Narsapuram
The excise officials with the seized liquor in a godown at Narsapuram in West Godavari on Wednesday
- Municipal chairperson suspected to be behind the racket
- Municipal chairperson through her husband allegedly procured large quantities of liquor dur-ing the elections and the leftover stock was being sold illegally
Narsapuram (West Godavari district) : In a major crackdown ahead of the upcoming MLC elections, the prohibition and excise authorities busted a liquor racket in Narsapuram on Wednesday. The raid led to the seizure of a large quantity of illicit alcohol, allegedly stockpiled for election-related distribution.
One person was arrested with two bottles of Royal Grande Malt Whisky (180ml), and further investiga-tions resulted in the seizure of approximately 4,500 bottles of suspected spurious liquor hid-den in an aqua farm near Narsapur.
The enforcement action led to the arrest of two individuals, Gollamandala Rajababu, resident of Kopparru village in Narsapuram mandal, and Barre Jayaraju of Narsapuram town. Authori-ties suspect that the liquor was part of a larger operation to influence voters during elections.
The investigators have linked the racket to Barre Venkataramana, chairperson of Narsapur Municipality. Reports suggest that through her husband, Barre Jayaraju, she had procured large quantities of liquor during the elections, and the leftover stock was being sold illegally. Offi-cials are now probing deeper into the political involvement in the illegal liquor trade.
West Godavari district prohibition and excise officer Dr Kumareswaran said that no matter how influential those involved may be, strict action will be taken as per the law.
The raid was executed under the leadership of Rambabu, station house officer Narsapuram, with signifi-cant contributions from Prabhu Kumar, assistant commissioner, and Prasad Reddy, assistant excise superintendent.
The operation was closely supervised by enforcement director Rahul Dev Sharma and deputy commissioner Sreelatha.
Meanwhile, in a high-level review meeting held on Tuesday, commissioner Nishanth Kumar and Rahul Dev Sharma assessed revenue mobilisation and crime control strategies.
Officials were instructed to remain vigilant against any illicit activities that could impact election in-tegrity. The meeting served as a morale booster for enforcement personnel, reinforcing the commitment to maintaining law and order during the election period. Authorities continue to investigate the case, and further arrests are expected.
