In a major breakthrough in the sensational spurious liquor racket unearthed at Mulakalacheruvu in Annamayya district of Andhra Pradesh last week, the state prohibition and excise police apprehended the prime accused Addepalli Janardhan Rao on Friday evening.
On receiving specific information that Janardhan Rao, who had been hiding in South Africa for the last weeks, was arriving in Vijayawada via Hyderabad, a special team of excise police who had been on the lookout for him, took him into custody at Gannavaram airport, as soon as he landed there.
Investigations earlier revealed that Janardhan Rao, along with his associate Raju, had rented a house in Kanugonda Arch area of Mulakalacheruvu and set up a clandestine liquor manufacturing unit.
During raids conducted on October 3, the excise officials had seized spurious liquor worth Rs 1.75 crore from the premises. Janardhan Rao’s brother, Jaganmohan Rao, was previously arrested in connection with the same case.
Authorities also discovered that the fake liquor produced in Mulakalacheruvu was later processed and bottled at a unit near Ibrahimpatnam on the outskirts of Vijayawada.
The accused had even started an illegal bottling and sales unit behind the ANR Bar in Ibrahimpatnam, where liquor was packed under counterfeit labels of reputed brands such as Gold Admiral, Classic Blue, Kerala Malt, and Manjeera.
Thousands of quarter bottles, along with bottle-sealing machines, hologram stickers, and cartons, were seized during the raids.
According to investigators, the liquor was supplied to retail shops and belt outlets across different districts.
Preliminary inquiry indicated that Janardhan Rao masterminded the racket with the help of his brother, coordinating the entire fake liquor production and distribution network.