Excise department continues raid in Cachar, 8 more arrested

February 25: The Excise Department of Cachar continues its raids against spurious and illegal liquor manufacturers and sellers. On Monday, two raids were conducted under the supervision of Superintendent Sunil Sinha at Silchar (Sadar) circle and Borkhola excise circle. A total of 8 cases were detected and 6 persons were arrested in this regard.

Seizures were made, which included 28 litres of Illicit Distilled liquor (IDL), 2 sets of D/A, 455 litres of fermented wash (F/Wash), 6.66 litres of Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL). The excise department conducted raids at Arunaband Basti, Katigorah and Kalain.

Apart from this, Lakhipur Excise team conducted an early morning raid in Burthol Tea Estate. Two persons were arrested under Section 53(1)(a), (c) & (d). The accused were produced later in the day in the court of SDJM, Lakhipur.

Also Read: Raids against illicit liquor launched by Excise Department in Cachar

Meanwhile, with the number of deceased reaching 143, the death toll in hooch tragedy which started on Thursday night seems to be unending. Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal announced a compensation of Rs 2 lakh each to the kin of those who died after consuming spurious liquor and Rs 50,000 each to those who are undergoing treatment. Police said that bootleggers often add methanol – a highly toxic form of alcohol sometimes used as an anti-freeze – to their mixture to increase its strength. Methanol can cause blindness, liver damage and death.