The Prohibition and Excise department has successfully dismantled a major spurious liquor racket operating across Annamayya and NTR districts. Investigations reveal the illicit operation extended its reach to major metropolitan areas like Goa, Bengaluru, and Mumbai. The primary suspects, brothers Addepalli Janardhan Rao and A. Jaganmoham Rao, have been involved in the liquor business since 2012.
The duo was allegedly producing Non-Duty Paid Liquor (NDPL) and distributing it through various liquor outlets in Mulakalacheru, including their own establishment, the ANR Restaurant and Bar. Janardhan Rao was recently apprehended at Gannavaram airport upon his return from South Africa, marking a significant breakthrough for officials.
Further inquiries uncovered that Janardhan Rao initiated NDPL manufacturing during the COVID-19 pandemic. He reportedly sourced inexpensive liquor in plastic cans from Hyderabad, then repackaged it into one-liter bottles under counterfeit brand names, selling these at his ANR Bar in Ibrahimpatnam.
A crucial collaborator, Balaji from Goa, who possessed experience in distillery operations, provided Janardhan Rao with essential ingredients such as spirit, caramel, and various essences. The syndicate employed fake labels, printed in Hyderabad and sent to Ibrahimpatnam, to disguise their illicit products. Large quantities of plastic cans, bottles, and caps were acquired and transported to their bottling unit located in NTR district.
An Excise official involved in the investigation stated that the accused manufactured and supplied spurious liquor under diverse brand names to numerous outlets. Interestingly, Janardhan Rao had ambitious plans to establish a distillery in South Africa, even traveling to Luanda for this purpose. He also intended to open another bar in Hyderabad, which would serve as a logistical hub for raw material transportation.
S. Srinivas, the NTR District Prohibition and Excise Officer (DPEO), explained, “Janardhan Rao and his associates brought counterfeit liquor from Mulakalacheruvu in cans to Ibrahimpatnam. There, they bottled the liquor and affixed fake labels of well-known brands.” The racket was initially exposed when Excise police in Annamayya district intercepted a vehicle carrying the illicit liquor. This led to further raids, ultimately uncovering the bottling unit in Ibrahimpatnam.