Keeping pace with the special drive to curb the sale and transportation of illicit liquor ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, a team led by SDO Garima Singh on Tuesday demolished three illegal distilleries, seized 700 litres of liquor and detained five people for selling booze.

The distilleries were located in Mayapur village under Ormanjhi thana area, around 20km from here. Illicit liquor was seized from bootleggers at Shalimar Bazar in Dhurwa and Murga Bazar in Jagannthpur.

“The action started around 10am and continued till late in the evening. Apart from the district administration team, excise officials and policemen were also involved in the raids. The purpose of the move was to instil a sense of fear among people involved in the business of illicit liquor,” an official told The Telegraph.

Singh confirmed the action and also shared photographs of the raids.

“So far, five persons involved in illicit liquor business have been detained and 700 litres of liquor have been seized. We carried out the raids following intelligence inputs,” Singh said, adding that more raids would be conducted in other places in the days to come.

Illicit liquor has always been a matter of concern for the district administration as it is used to influence voting. Those involved in the trade often use innovative ways to hide consignments in order to evade arrest.

“When police raided the house of liquor mafia Monaram Sahu at Hochar in Kanke in February last year, it found liquor stocks hidden in wells and tankers spread in an area measuring more than an acre. Although Sahu had managed to give police a slip, he was finally arrested on December 19,” an official at the SDO’s office said.

Late last year, the Raghubar Das government’s U-turn in handing liquor sale back to private players 20 months after it took over the business provoked a volley of reactions ranging from a call for introspection from within the BJP to open jibes by the Opposition claiming the ruling party wanted to cosy up to the liquor syndicate for “election funds”.

“Now the elections are approaching, the BJP wants cash. That’s why the government withdrew its decision to please liquor syndicate who will fund the BJP,” said JMM central secretary and spokesperson Supriyo Bhattacharya had told The Telegraph in December.