11 held from illegal liquor unit in Ranchi village

Ranchi: The excise department on Saturday arrested 11 persons, including the manager of an illegal liquor bottling unit functioning on the outskirts of Ranchi, during a raid.
"Bottles of foreign liquor were seized from the unit," said assistant excise commissioner Rakesh Kumar, adding that the illegal bottles had markings that made them look like original.
The unit was beside a licensed foreign liquor bottling unit at Palandu village in Ranchi district. "A licensed bottling unit is already here. The same owner was also producing illegal liquor. The set-up of illegal bottling unit was huge," said excise sub-inspector Pradeep Sharma.
The manager of the unit and the 10 others who were arrested told excise officers that they did not know the unit was illegal. "He has given us information on the basis of which we will lodge a case against the owner of the unit," an excise officer said.
The unit is owned by businessman Ashok Nirula who lives in Himachal Pradesh. "The unit is licensed to sell liquor only in Jharkhand and not outside it," he said, adding that more than 5,000 l of liquor worth Rs 60 lakh was seized.