Rajkot: The local crime branch (LCB) and parole furlough squad busted an illegal liquor manufacturing unit in Mahuva taluka on Thursday, seizing liquor and equipment worth over Rs 15 lakh. Six labourers were arrested at the spot, while three key accused are absconding.Acting on a tip-off, a factory on Haripara Road in Gundarni village was raided. The premises, owned by Baldevsinh Gohil, was allegedly rented to Rakesh Baraiya and Raviraj alias Munno Mokh, who were running the illicit operation.Investigators found that a rear section of the factory was being used to manufacture spurious Indian-made foreign liquor (IMFL) by mixing spirit with flavouring agents. The accused allegedly filled the spurious liquor in bottles and sealed them with counterfeit labels of popular whisky brands, for sale.Police seized 1,620 bottles of spurious IMFL, mobile phones, empty bottles, fake brand stickers, bottle caps, packing machines, 20-litre plastic carboys of spirit, and other machinery. The value of the seized items is estimated to be Rs 15.25 lakh.Six accused — Bherulal Gengat, Kalyansingh Ranavat, Rajkumar Prajapati, Lokesh Goswami, Suryapratapsingh Rathod and Pukhraj Mali, all labourers from Rajasthan — were caught at the spot and arrested. The three main accused — Gohil, Baraiya and Raviraj, managed to escape and are currently at large. An FIR was registered at Mahuva Rural police station under the Gujarat Prohibition Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Police said some of the accused have criminal records.
