Vellore

Residents of Kudisai village in Ilavambadi village panchayat in Anaicut panchayat union in Vellore district said they were the most affected, “as the remote location at the base of a nearby hillock has resulted in nearly 300 local men indulging in tippling due to the availability of illicit arrack in packets.” It may be recalled that when the Janata Curfew was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, tipplers purchased liquor bottles and then sold them for increased rates during the curfew resulting in many being arrested. Similarly, sources said, it is common to see men, mostly youth drinking from sachets, with each 200 ml sachet costing around Rs 20. “The remote location enables illicit distillation as the dense foliage provides good cover for such covert activity,” said sources.

What galls locals, specially women, was that “prohibition police and the Virinjipuram police station – in whose limits the hamlet falls – are aware of this problem, but continue to turn a blind eye. The illicit distiller openly bribes the cops as both do not bother to hide the act.” Illicit distillation also made its presence felt in Vellore town, where police arrested 9 persons, including two women for illicit distillation and selling hooch to locals.

However, only cases were registered against the accused with orders to present themselves in court when called for. Officials said the accused were not arrested in a bid to prevent overcrowding in jails which already released many remand prisoners for the same purpose

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