TEAM HERALD
BELGAUM: Following heavy restrictions on the smuggling of Urrack and Fenny from Goa, bootleggers from in Khanapur taluka in Belgaum district have come out with an innovative idea to produce the famous Goan liquor by distilling these liquors inside the dense Khanapur forests bordering Goa.
According to a press note issued by the Belgaum Excise department, the Excise officials have seized 320 litres of cashew Feni and five litres of Urrack worth Rs 25,000.
The raid was carried out in jungles of Morab village in Khanapur taluka. Acting on specific information, the officials carried out the raid under the direction of joint Director of Central Excise Prabhuswami and Excise Deputy Commissioner Merunandan.
The team comprising Excise DySP Kulkarni, PI Ravi Murgod, C S Patil, PSI Nander, Nadaf, Nilajkar, Atigal and others carried out the raid. The team visited the interior parts of the thick Khanapur forests and found the ongoing distilling process, and destroyed the vessels, drums and chemicals being used. The culprits however managed to escape.
“Since cashew is available in abundance in the villages of Khanapur and Belgaum talukas bordering Goa and since there is a strict vigilance at the border points, incidents of illicit distillations of ‘Feni’ and ‘Urrack’ have come to the notice of the Excise department,” DC Merunandan told Herald.
DySP Jagdish Kulkarni told Herald that this is a third case of Feni and Urrack seizure this year. “We had arrested a person from Inam-Badas village a fortnight ago engaged in illicit distilling,” added Kulkarni.
Incidents of illicit distillation of Urrack and Feni have been reported since the last couple of days.
According to officials, Urrack and Feni seized are adulterated and do not match Goan standards. This duplicate Belgaum-distilled liquor is frequently sold to enthusiastic drinkers under the guise of Goa Urrack and Feni.
