Major crackdown in Mayurbhanj; 15,000 litres of Mahua wash, 8,500 litres of liquor seized

The Odisha Excise Department carried out a massive raid in Karanjia subdivision of Mayurbhanj district, seizing more than 15,000 litres of mahua wash and 8,500 litres of mahua liquor. The crackdown was launched on Monday evening after officials received intelligence inputs about large-scale illegal brewing units in villages under the Karanjia excise police station limits.

Reports stated that acting on the directions of the Mayurbhanj Excise Superintendent, joint teams from Karanjia, Thakurmunda, Jashipur and Sukruli units conducted simultaneous raids in Bapalsa, Bonakati, Bhalianal, Gopalpur and adjoining areas.

Sources added that officials destroyed the seized wash on site and confiscated the liquor. Three people have been detained in connection with the illegal brewing, and further investigation is underway.

Villages, Streams And Forests Used As Brewing Sites

Excise officials said that the liquor was being manufactured in makeshift setups inside forested and stream-side locations, from where it was supplied illegally to nearby markets. Equipment and materials used for fermentation were destroyed during the raids to prevent further operations.

Authorities admitted local mafias have been setting up brewing units in inaccessible areas, making detection difficult. Monday’s raid was among the largest in recent years, both in terms of volume seized and scale of operations.

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Similar Crackdown In Cuttack District

Earlier last Saturday, nearly 2,000 litres of illicit country liquor were seized by the Athagarh Excise Department from forest areas in Cuttack district.

Acting on a tip-off, officials recovered liquor jars hidden underground in Dalua and Khanduali forests under Khuntuni police limits. The containers had been buried beneath layers of soil to avoid detection. Along with the liquor, a large quantity of fermented wash was destroyed on site.

Officials said that with seizures reported in both Mayurbhanj and Cuttack within the same week, the crackdown on illegal brewing will continue across the state in the coming days.