Gurugram: The Gurugram Police on Tuesday raided an illegal liquor distillation plant in the Aravallis near Sohna and arrested seven people including a minor. The police also seized 1,600 litres of raw liquor ingredients and 50 litres of raw alcohol from the spot along with equipment used, police officials said.
The Gurugram Police on Tuesday raided an illegal liquor distillation plant in the Aravallis near Sohna and arrested seven people including a minor. (ANI PHOTO)
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The raid was carried out after conducting a reconnaissance in the Aravallis with the help of drones, about two kilometres from Rithoj village in Sohna, they added.
Investigators identified the arrested men as Sacche Singh, Ganga Ram, Manoj Kumar, Anil Singh and Khemchand, residents of Rithoj village and Munshi Ram of Sahajawas village besides one minor.
Mahender Pathak, station house officer of the Bhondsi police station said that they had received a tip-off two days ago regarding illegal manufacture of liquor. “On Monday, we conducted a reconnaissance of the entire area using a drone and identified the spot. On Tuesday, we formed teams and conducted a raid when the suspects were making liquor and were about to fill it in bottles,” he said.
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Vipin Ahlawat, assistant commissioner of police, Gurugram, said that when the raid was carried out, all the suspects were busy making illegal liquor at the distillery. Besides raw material and raw liquor, eight empty drums, three plastic canes, one axe, three iron angles were recovered from the spot. “To evade the police, the furnace was installed by the suspects in a deserted area in the Aravallis and the roads to reach the furnace were also narrow. It took almost a month to set up operations,” he said.
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Vipin Ahlawat, assistant commissioner of police, Gurugram, said that when the raid was carried out, all the suspects were busy making illegal liquor at the distillery. Besides raw material and raw liquor, eight empty drums, three plastic canes, one axe, three iron angles were recovered from the spot. “To evade the police, the furnace was installed by the suspects in a deserted area in the Aravallis and the roads to reach the furnace were also narrow. It took almost a month to set up operations,” he said.
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The ACP said they are questioning the suspects to get more information about how long the illegal distillery has been functional and where was the liquor sold. “We want to check if they were rebottling any prominent brand of liquor or using liquor bottles of any other brand to fill the country-made liquor,” he said.
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In December 2023, the Rewari Police seized more than 300 cartons of spurious Indian-made foreign liquor (IMFL) from two licenced liquor shops in Gurugram and one in Manesar and sealed all three shops. Officials said the three shops were involved in packaging and selling IMFL in bottles of expensive liquor brands and transporting them to different states across the country.
A farmhouse was used to refill the empty liquor bottles and sold to liquor vends, based on which we began an investigation. The suspects told the police that they were supplying the fake liquor in Gurugram, Manesar, and Sohna, they said.
Leena Dhankhar is Senior Editor and Bureau Chief, Gurugram, at Hindustan Times, where she has spent over 17 years chronicling the transformation of one of India's fastest-growing urban regions. From starting her career as a crime reporter to leading the Gurugram bureau, her journalism has been defined by investigative reporting, in-depth storytelling and an unwavering focus on public interest.
Over nearly two decades, she has reported extensively across crime, politics, civic governance, elections, real estate, environment, courts, sports, education and entertainment, covering Gurugram, Faridabad, Nuh and Palwal. Her reporting has exposed several major scams and systemic failures, including insurance frauds, waste management irregularities, illegal arms manufacturing units in Nuh, illegal mining in the Aravallis, organised crime networks and governance lapses affecting millions of residents.
Known for her investigative work and exclusive stories, Leena has reported on high-impact national issues, including the Nicaragua charter flight carrying Indian migrants that was turned back amid allegations of human trafficking, exposing the growing network of illegal immigration rackets. Her work has also focused on gang wars, prison administration, juvenile crime, women and child protection systems, the functioning of the Juvenile Justice Board and Child Welfare Committee, and environmental challenges such as pollution, waterlogging and deteriorating civic infrastructure.
Beyond hard news, Leena has extensively documented Haryana's rich heritage, forests and wildlife, bringing attention to the state's historical landmarks, biodiversity, conservation efforts and ecological challenges through immersive reportage and feature writing.
Her journalism has consistently gone beyond breaking news. She has documented Gurugram's rapid urbanisation through long-form narratives and enterprise reporting on issues ranging from pothole-ridden roads, flooding and waste management to the changing social fabric of India's Millennium City. She also writes widely read feature columns, including The Outsider, Changemaker, and Concern for Gurugram, profiling people, places and ideas shaping the city's identity.
Leena is the author of Gurugram School Murder, published by Juggernaut Books, a deeply reported account of one of India's most high-profile school murder investigations. She is currently working on her second book, an investigative work exploring some of India's most significant scams and fraud investigations.
Beyond print journalism, she has expanded her storytelling through public speaking and digital media. She is a TEDx speaker and has produced podcasts exploring Gurugram's transformation, civic challenges and untold stories. Her work reflects a commitment to narrative journalism that combines rigorous reporting with compelling storytelling.
A law graduate with an MBA in Human Resources, Leena brings a multidisciplinary perspective to her reporting, particularly on governance, public policy and legal affairs. She has travelled extensively across India to pursue investigative assignments, often reporting from remote locations and conflict-prone areas in search of stories that matter.
