Daijiworld Media Network - Mangalore (MB)
Pics: Dayanand Kukkaje

Mangalore, Jul 12: The police of the excise department have tracked down a huge stock of arrack sachets near KMC hospital at Attavar on Wednesday July 11 night.

The raided the house at 9 pm and seized about 20 thousand sachets of arrack - now banned by the state - of value of over Rs 2 lac. They were stored in a shop belonging to one Sharathkumar. But Sharathkumar stated that he had rented this shop to one Dharmapal Shetty, resident of Naguri, 2 months back. Earlier, a ladies' tailoring shop was functioning in the premises.

Dharmapal Shetty had got into a rental agreement with Sharathkumar, mentioning storage of gas cylinders as purpose. But, instead, illegal arrack sachets were stored.
 
The neighbours here said that the shop was not being opened during daytime and expressed shock as to how such a large stock of arrack was stored so easily in the shop, which is surrounded many residential buildings.

Police sources said that the accused Dharmapal Shetty is absconding. Excise department personnel Vinodkumar, S Tamma, Prakashkumar, Umesh, Giridhar, Sukumar and Janardan took part in the raid.