4.5-lakh litres ‘lahan’ recovered in Jalandhar

The Jalandhar rural police seized 4.5 lakh litres of ‘lahan’ (raw material used for making liquor) from Jalandhar’s Mehatpur area on Sunday

Jalandhar : The Jalandhar rural police seized 4.5 lakh litres of ‘lahan’ (raw material used for making liquor) from Jalandhar’s Mehatpur area on Sunday.

The Jalandhar rural police seized 4.5 lakh litres of ‘lahan’ (raw material used for making liquor) from Jalandhar’s Mehatpur area on Sunday.

The seizure has been made at a time when 20 people have died after consuming illicit liquor in Sangrur’s Sunam.

Police accompanied by excise department officials conducted raids along the banks of Sutlej. Mehtapur station house officer (SHO) Gurshinder Kaur said an extensive search operation was carried in the area during which the police recovered 4.5-lakh litres of ‘lahan’ stores in large polythene. The smugglers had tied the polythene bags with ropes and dumped them in the Sutlej.

The police also recovered three drums and 60 plastic pipes from the spot. “Smugglers used to extract illicit liquor by hiding lahan in the riverbed. A case has been registered under Excise Act against unidentified persons,” she said.

Police have destroyed the seized raw material on the spot.

“We will continue our search operation in the villages situated near the Sutlej and stern action will be taken against the accused,” she added.