Hatadihi: Acting on a tip-off, police busted a number of country-liquor manufacturing units and seized huge quantities of mahua during raids at the Hadagarh Wildlife Sanctuary under Soso police limits in Keonjhar district Tuesday. The police team was led by DSP Prasant Kumar Behera of Anandapur sub-division. The team first raided villages under Soso and Nandipada police limits from where they seized huge quantities of mahua.
Later, the team raided Sundarapal, Sangam and Andhari areas within the sanctuary and busted the manufacturing units. Officials said that 8,000 litres of fermented Mahua brew were seized during the raids. Locals are alarmed at the presence of such illegal liquor manufacturing units within the sanctuary. They said that people involved in the activities might also be associated with poaching. The presence of criminals will only endanger the lives of elephants and other animals in the sanctuary, they opined. However, the miscreants working in these units managed to escape and evaded arrest. Three cases in this regard have been registered at the Soso police station, cops said. They added that raids will be conducted again shortly to nab people dealing in illegal liquor.
