After a comparative lull for a while during the transition period when senior
IPS officer Prasada Rao has taken over the reins of the ACB from Bhubati Babu, ACB has once again
raided the liquor syndicates in a surprise swoop in several districts of the state on Wednesday.
These raids caught the liquor mafia unawares as they heaved a sigh of relief when the government
replaced Bhubati Babu with Prasada Rao as they thought that the government has chosen to give a
respite to the liquor traders. Because of the suddenness of the raids, several liquor traders had gone
underground, fearing arrests.
ACB sleuths have on Wednesday arrested Ram Prasad of Masulipatam, Subba Rao of Kaikaluru
and Satyanarayana of Eluru. ACB DSP Narasimha Rao told the media that Satyanarayana had 14
liquor shops and Subba Rao and Ramprasad held 13 shops each.
ACB officials have raided the house of liquor trader Koduri Dharma Rao in Chirala in Prakasham
district on Wednesday morning. They have examined several documents pertaining to his business.
Then he was taken into custody and shifted to Ongole.
In Medak district, liquor trader Karunakara Reddy was taken into custody in Gajwel. Reddy
has liquor shops in Medak and Ranga Reddy districts. He was shifted to Hyderabad for questioning.
However, his wife told the media that he owned only one shop and had no connection with the
syndicate.
Surprise raids were conducted in Nalgonda district also. ACB sleuths have taken into custody one
Nageswara Rao, accountant of liquor syndicate during the wee hours of Wednesday. They have seized
several records, a laptop and hard discs. He was also shifted to Hyderabad. With this arrest, rest of the
liquor traders of Nalgonda have gone into hiding. In Chittoor district, ACB authorities have arrested
Swamy alias Nagabhushanam, a liquor trader in Palamaneru. (NSS)
