Jharsuguda Police Bust Liquor Racket, Four Held Under Operation NETRA

Bhubaneswar: In a major success under Operation NETRA, the Jharsuguda police have busted an inter-district liquor smuggling racket and arrested four accused, including the kingpin, during a late-evening raid on Sunday.

Acting on a tip-off, a team from Rengali Police Station intercepted a Maruti EECO vehicle near Amapali Crusher in Pithinda Gram Panchayat. Upon inspection, the vehicle was found carrying over 1,000 litres of country-made (OS) liquor being transported from Bargarh district.

The arrested accused have been identified as Bikram Deheri (48) of Amapali village, Ballabha Meher (32) of Luhabaga, Kulamani Mallik (32) of Amapali, and Rahul Naik (25) of Bairiguda in Kalahandi district.

During the raid, police seized 13 plastic sacks containing 1,125 litres of OS liquor, two bundles of packaging material, and a Samsung mobile phone from their possession.

According to police, Bikram Deheri, the prime accused, has a long history of involvement in illegal liquor trade, with multiple cases registered against him under the Odisha Excise Act since 2013.

A case has been registered under Sections 316(2), 318(3), 345(3), and 61(2)(a) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) read with Sections 52(a)(i), 60(a), and 60(b) of the Odisha Excise Act, 2008.

The Jharsuguda Police stated that they are maintaining a strict vigil on anti-social activities, including drug trafficking, arms smuggling, and illegal liquor trade, as part of Operation NETRA. Further investigation is underway to trace the larger network behind the smuggling racket.