PRAYAGRAJ: Sale of liquor has gone up by 52 per cent since the joint team of police and excise department tightened the noose around liquor mafia in four districts of the range, which are Prayagraj, Fatehpur, Pratapgarh and Kaushambi, in May.
The revenue collection in May this year was recorded as Rs 124.03 crore, while it was Rs 81.45 crore in May last year.
The range police have registered a total of 594 FIRs and arrested 655 persons involved in illegal sale and production of liquor/hooch between April 1 and June 10.
The police claimed to have seized over 60,403 litres of illicit liquor in all four districts.
Inspector general of police (Prayargaj range) KP Singh told TOI, “Joint teams of police and excise department have launched a special drive against the illegal sale and production of liquor in four districts of the range and registered 594 cases under Excise Act, including 238 in Prayagraj, 117 in Kaushambi, 191 in Fatehpur and 48 in Pratapgarh, between April 1 and June 10.” He added, “A total of 655 persons have been arrested, including 278 in Prayagraj, 119 in Kaushambi, 200 in Fatehpur and 58 in Pratapgarh, for being involved in the illegal sale and production of liquor in the same period.
Similarly, around 60,403 litres of illicit liquor were seized during the drive.
Pratapgarh registered highest seizure of 43,971 litres of hooch, followed by Fatehpur (8760 litres), Kaushambi (3979 litres) and Prayagraj (3693 litres).” The IG informed that since the joint teams manage to bring liquor mafia under control, the sale of liquor at government shops has gone up by 52 per cent in the past one-and-a-half months.
Under the special drive launched by range police, as many as 1,321 liquor shops were checked on May 29 and 30 in all four districts, including 558 shops in Prayagraj, 146 shops in Kaushambi, 458 shops in Fatehpur and 159 shops in Pratapgarh.
While Prayagraj police claimed to have arrested a wanted liquor mafia, identified as Virendra alias Jajje Shukla, in Meja area, who was also carrying Rs 15,000 cash reward on him, Pratapgarh police nabbed two liquor mafias, including Pradeep Singh alias Pradiman Singh and Anoop Singh, during the drive.
Each of them was carrying Rs 25,000 cash reward on them.
Pratagarh district recorded a major seizure on April 3 in Kunda area when the joint team of police and excise department seized illegal liquor worth Rs one crore, 1.25 lakh wrappers, 270 drum filled with spirit, 29 blank drums, 36 sacks full of bottle caps and other materials.
When the police launched a special drive to act against the liquor mafias on the run, the dreaded liquor ganglord Guddu Singh alias Sanjay singh, carrying Rs one lakh cash reward on him, had surrendered in the local court in Pratapgarh district on June 4.
Meanwhile, district excise official (Prayagraj), Jitendra Kumar Singh, told TOI that the department has earned a profit of over Rs 42.85 crore in terms of revenue since the drive against sale and manufacturing of illegal liquor was launched in an effective manner in the four districts of the range in May.
He added that joint teams of police and excise department is constantly conducted raids at suspected points and taking stringent action against liquor mafia.