Chennai, Jun 13 (IANS): The closure of TASMAC shops and shortage of liquor in Tamil Nadu have led to the emergence of a large number of bootleggers from neighbouring Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Puducherry turn up to supply Tamil Nadu's tipplers - in some innovative ways.

The state police's Prohibition and Enforcement wing, in a statement, said that P. Sankar, 39, was arrested in Villupuram district for selling arrack, filled in mineral water bottles, at the doorsteps of consumers.

He was nabbed by the personnel of the Kanchipuram police station after they found him moving in suspicious circumstances with a heavy bag. On checking, the bag was found to be full of mineral water bottles, which, when opened, turned out to be arrack.

Police have booked Sankar under different sections of the Tamil Nadu Prohibition Act 1937 and confiscated 10 bottles of arrack being passed off as mineral water and several polythene packets of arrack.

DSP, Prohibition Enforcement Wing, Purushothaman Ramakrishnan, told IANS that Sankar said that he had brought the arrack from Puducherry and bottled them in pet bottles to sell to his clients.

"We are conducting a thorough inquiry into the same. There is a high increase in smuggling of liquor, both arrack, and IMFL, into Tamil Nadu by interstate gangs and we are trying our best to bust these rackets."