12,845 litres of rectified spirit seized, 5 held

CHENNAI: The suburban police on Sunday arrested five persons for smuggling rectified spirit from Madhya Pradesh and seized a lorry with 12,845 litres of spirit worth more than Rs 40 lakh. About Rs 1.5 lakh in cash was also seized.
According to the police, personnel at the Mondiyamman Nagar check-post near Red Hills chased and caught a car that had sped away without stopping.A check revealed 245 litres of rectified spirit packed in cans and the driver, M Perumal, said his partner G Shankar was transporting a load of rectified spirit in a lorry that was coming behind.
The police then stopped the lorry and found 360 plastic cans, each of 35-litre capacity, containing rectified spirit. The Rajasthan registered lorry was going towards Puducherry.
The arrested included G Shankar of Morappakkam who had been released from jail eight months ago. He was sentenced to eight years in prison in 11 rectified spirit smuggling cases.
" We planned well and managed to arrest the entire gang, including the driver and cleaner," suburban police commissioner SR Jangid told mediapersons on Monday. The rectified spirit or Sorbitol contains a high degree of alcohol and small quantities are used in the manufacture of ice-cream and bubble gum, he said.
"The accused are wholesale dealers of rectified spirit in areas like Tindivanam, Villupuram, Karaikal and Puducherry. They mix 10 litres of water with 1 litre of spirit and sell it even in local Tasmac shops," he said.