Police bust illegal foreign liquor manufacturing factory in Manipur

Imphal Mar 31: A police team of Khongjom police station in Manipur's Thoubal district busted an illegal liquor factory and recovered a large quantity of illegally manufactured Indian made foreign liquor (IMFL) and other materials used in making the liquor.

Informing this during a press conference in Imphal today, the state chief minister N Biren Singh said that seven persons involved in the illegal manufacture of the IMFL were arrested.

During the course of the investigation and the subsequent legal proceedings one Thokchom Bobo Singh (43) of Khongjom Maning Leikai under Khongjom police station was remanded into judicial custody while others were released on bail separately.

As per the preliminary investigation, the arrested persons have been selling their product to the innocent public after making duplicate brands of IMFL at the residence of Bobo at Khongjom Maning Leikai.

Eight cases (96 bottles) of 750 ml Old Monk rum,10 cases (240 half bottles) of 375 ml, 37 numbers of cartoon boxes of empty bottles, 44 bundles of cartoon boxes, 14 numbers of empty gallons used for preparing illegal liquor, 4 numbers of water jar, one red plastic water container, one aluminium water container, 3 numbers of gunny bags containing plastic (bottle) caps which were used to fit on the bottles, 3 plastic jars containing suspected chemicals used in making illegal IMFL, one roll of sticker marked as McDowell’s used for trademarking were recovered during the operation which was conducted on March 26 based on secret inputs.

“The sample of the seized items have been sent to state food testing laboratory at the Directorate of Health services for examination,” Biren Singh said. “Experts opinion and results of the examination are awaited.”

As per the statements, the suspected alcohol spirit was brought as petrol (by filling inside the gallons) from Myanmar Namphalong by passenger van while the rum flavours,bottles and stickers were brought from Guwahati through passenger bus services. Even though the bottle caps were bought from Kolkata through Courier,the fried sugar for colouring was prepared by the accused persons.Further investigation is in progress,he added.

The Superintendent of Police Jogeshchandra Haobijam of Thoubal district was also present during the press conference.