Undeterred by the crackdown on them by cops, the notorious liquor mafia seems to have continued with their nefarious activities by posing a threat human life amid the deadly coronavirus pandemic. Yet another illicit liquor brewing unit (haath-bhatti) was busted by the Thane (rural) police, in Bhayandar on Thursday night.
Based on a specific tip-off, a team led by police personnel- Valmik Munde under the instructions of Senior Police Inspector- Chandrakant Jadhav, unearthed the illicit manufacturing unit that had been set up on a patch of marshy land near Shivneri area in Rai village. Raw ingredients including fermented jaggery wash and other manufacturing equipment was seized by the police team. After taking some samples of the ingredient’s for lab tests, the equipment and chemical used to brew the illicit liquor was destroyed on the spot.
The den operator who has been identified as- Prakash Patil is notorious for his bootlegging activities in the region. A case under section 65-f (uses, keeps or has in his possession any materials, still utensils, implements or apparatus for the purpose of manufacturing any intoxicant) of the Bombay Prohibition Act has been registered in this context. This apart from sections of the IPC and for flouting the stringent Epidemic Act and Maharashtra Covid-19 regulations, police said.
