During the raid, police seized 227 sealed bottles of Indian-made foreign liquor, empty branded liquor bottles, fake stickers and caps and flavouring agents.

Cheap booze, fake labels: Premium liquor racket busted in Ahmedabad, 4 arrested

Ahmedabad's anti-crime unit busted an illegal fake premium liquor factory, arresting four people for repackaging cheap foreign liquor into branded bottles using counterfeit labels, caps and flavouring agents before selling it as premium liquor in dry Gujarat.

by · India Today

In Short

  • Cheap liquor was mixed with water and flavouring agents beforehand
  • Empty branded bottles were sourced from scrap dealers for reuse
  • Police seized 227 sealed liquor bottles, counterfeit packaging materials

Fake premium liquor was being manufactured and sold from a clandestine factory unit in Ahmedabad despite Gujarat's liquor prohibition, with the Prevention of Crime Branch (PCB) arresting four people and launching a manhunt for the mastermind.

The PCB, acting on a tip-off, raided a premises in Ahmedabad’s Shahpur area, where it found an illegal operation repackaging cheap Indian-made foreign liquor into bottles of premium brands using counterfeit caps, stickers and packaging materials.

During the raid, police seized 227 sealed bottles of Indian-made foreign liquor, empty branded liquor bottles, fake stickers and caps, flavouring agents, hair dryers, mobile phones and other equipment used in the operation. The total value of the seized items was estimated at Rs 1.56 lakh.

The four arrested have been identified as Mandeep Bhavsar, Kailash Bodana, Dev Patel and Devang Jani. The kingpin, listed liquor smuggler Vicky alias Mango Chauhan, managed to flee and is currently absconding. Police said multiple teams have been formed to trace and arrest him.

According to investigators, Chauhan ran the entire racket, while the four accused worked under him. Mandeep Bhavsar managed the day-to-day operations and was paid a monthly salary of Rs 35,000. Kailash Bodana procured cheap foreign liquor and empty bottles for the unit in return for Rs 10,000, while Dev Patel and Devang Jani were responsible for delivering the counterfeit premium liquor and were paid Rs 200 per day.

PCB official JP Jadeja said the accused sourced empty bottles from scrap dealers and procured fake labels and caps to make the liquor appear genuine. Whenever orders for branded liquor were received, they prepared the stock a day in advance by mixing inexpensive liquor with water and flavouring agents before bottling it in premium-brand containers.

Police are also investigating the nature of the flavouring agents and whether any other chemicals were used in the counterfeit liquor, raising concerns over potential health risks.

A case has been registered under the Gujarat Prohibition Act at Shahpur police station. Investigators are now probing the distribution network to determine where the fake premium liquor was supplied and whether more people were involved in the racket.

- Ends