Hyderabad liquor racket busted for selling fake premium whisky to techies
HYDERABAD: The Ranga Reddy Excise Enforcement team busted an alleged liquor adulteration racket in Hyderabad in which empty premium whisky bottles were reportedly refilled with cheap liquor and sold to software employees as imported brands.
Officials arrested two persons Lalu Prasad Biswal and Sharath Chandra while another accused, Rajeshwar Meher, is absconding. The enforcement team seized adulterated liquor, empty premium bottles, bottle caps and related material worth around ₹3 lakh during the raid.
According to officials, Biswal and Meher, natives of Odisha, worked at liquor events and private parties in Hyderabad. Investigators said the duo allegedly collected empty bottles of costly imported liquor brands from such events before refilling them with low-quality liquor mixed with water.
Officials said Sharath Chandra, a software employee from Karimnagar currently residing in Attapur, allegedly financed the operation after developing contacts with the duo.
Fake Royal Salute allegedly sold at steep discounts
Enforcement officials said the gang targeted software employees by offering premium liquor brands at prices far below market rates.
According to the excise department, a bottle of Royal Salute, priced at ₹25,100 in the market, was allegedly refilled with adulterated liquor and sold for ₹8,000. Similarly, Chivas Regal bottles worth ₹9,090 were allegedly sold for ₹4,000, while Glenwich bottles costing ₹7,190 were reportedly sold for around ₹3,000.
Officials said the accused used discounted prices to convince buyers that the liquor was genuine imported stock available at reduced rates.
The gang allegedly operated the mixing unit from a rented room at Guttala Begumpet in Kondapur. Officials said the accused refilled premium bottles with adulterated liquor and resealed them before supplying them to customers.
Ranga Reddy Assistant Commissioner R Kishan warned the public against purchasing liquor sold at unusually low prices. He urged consumers not to encourage illegal liquor sales and cautioned that adulterated liquor could pose serious health risks.
