Hyderabad: A large-scale fake liquor operation was exposed in Suryapet district as excise and Task Force personnel raided a shed in Ramapuram village, Mellachervu mandal, on Monday and seized 840 litres of spurious liquor worth ₹20 lakh.
Acting on a local tip-off, officials discovered a makeshift bottling unit where counterfeit whisky was being prepared using spirit, water, and additives. The liquor was repackaged into empty branded bottles with fake labels and sealed for sale.
Investigators identified Tota Shivashankar of Ramapuram as the suspected ringleader. Shivashankar, a former sales clerk at a local wine shop, allegedly set up the operation with two associates—Surya Prakash from the same village and Sriram Mahesh from Durgi in Andhra Pradesh’s Palnadu district.
Police said the trio had procured spirit from a pharmaceutical company in Hyderabad. Each whisky bottle was reportedly filled with 25% spirit and 75% water and other substances to simulate the original product. The finished liquor was intended for distribution in Andhra Pradesh.
Authorities believe the operation was scaled up ahead of local body elections. Surya Prakash and Mahesh were arrested during the raid, while Shivashankar remains absconding.