Two more accused arrested, taking total arrests to 14; liquor, two cars and mobile phones worth ₹19.05 lakh recovered
Published on: September 26, 2026
By: BTNI
Location: Rajnandgaon, India
The Rajnandgaon Police have intensified their action against an illegal liquor network allegedly involving the use of fake labels and holograms. As part of an end-to-end investigation, police arrested two more accused on September 25 and recovered 9,600 bottles of Uttarakhand-manufactured Royal Goa Spirit English liquor, packed in 200 cases.
The seized liquor amounts to 1,728 bulk litres. With the latest arrests, the total number of accused arrested in the case has risen to 14.
According to police, the arrested accused have been identified as Mahendra Verma alias Bada Katti (27), a resident of Mohara, and Ramashankar Rajput alias Baba Thakur (55), a resident of Vaishali Nagar, Bhilai.
2,400 Bottles Recovered from Mohara
Acting on Mahendra Verma’s information, police recovered 50 cases containing 2,400 bottles of liquor from Mohara village.
Each bottle has a capacity of 180 ml, with the total quantity amounting to 432 bulk litres. The marked value of the seized liquor was stated to be ₹91,200.
A Creta car and a mobile phone were also seized from the accused. The total value of the material seized from Mahendra Verma has been assessed at ₹11.12 lakh.
7,200 Bottles Seized from Farmhouse in Dhamtari
On the information provided by Ramashankar Rajput, police recovered 150 cases containing 7,200 bottles of liquor from a farmhouse located at Kachna, under Birejhar Police Outpost in Dhamtari district.
The recovered liquor amounted to 1,296 bulk litres, with a marked value of ₹2.73 lakh.
Police also seized a Brezza car and a mobile phone from the spot. The total value of the material seized from the accused was assessed at ₹7.93 lakh.
Together, the two operations resulted in the seizure of 200 cases, 9,600 bottles of liquor, two four-wheelers and two mobile phones, with the total value of the seized material estimated at ₹19.05 lakh.
Police Investigating Supply Chain and Network
According to the police investigation, Ramashankar Rajput alias Baba Thakur had allegedly arranged for liquor to be brought in and stored with the assistance of his associates, after which it was supplied through them.
Mahendra Verma was allegedly found to have received liquor for sale in the Mohara area.
Police are now investigating the roles of other individuals connected with the source, transportation, storage and distribution of the liquor.
Digital evidence recovered from the seized vehicles and mobile phones, along with other technical evidence, is also being examined. Police said further legal action would be taken against other persons found involved on the basis of the investigation.
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Total Arrests Reach 14
A total of 14 accused have been arrested so far in the case.
The investigation is being conducted under Crime No. 537/2026 under Sections 34(2), 36, 49(a) and 59(a) of the Excise Act, along with Sections 111, 336(3), 338, 340(2), 238, 61(2) and 3(5) of the BNS.
Joint Operation by Dongargarh Police, Mohara Outpost and Cyber Team
The operation was conducted under the direction of Superintendent of Police Ankita Sharma, guidance of Additional Superintendent of Police Keertan Rathore, and supervision of SDOP Keshari Nandan Nayak and DSP Cyber/Crime Satya Prakash Tiwari.
Teams from Dongargarh Police Station, Mohara Police Outpost and the Cyber Team were involved in the action.
The operation also involved Inspector Vinay Pammar, Shankar Giri Goswami, Head Constable Mahadev Sahu and Constables Ram Khilawan Sinha, Parivesh Verma, Rishi Das, Mani Thakur, Mithilesh Patel, Jeevan Thakur, Manish Verma, Khilesh Patel and Shatrughan Singh.
Rajnandgaon Police said action against the illegal liquor trade and organised criminal activities would continue.
