Notorious bootlegger Acharya back at it again: State excise raids den

City's oldest bootlegger keeps guard dogs for safety

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: The state excise department raided a four-storey building in Kumbharwada on Thursday, seizing illegal liquor and arresting the building's owner, Shankar Narayan Acharya (83). This is the second raid on the same building in four months, targeting Acharya, known as the city's oldest bootlegger.

Acting on a tip, excise superintendent Santosh Zagde and inspector RK Gurav led a team that raided Acharya's residence. The team found 40 liters of prepared liquor and 670 liters of chemicals used in manufacturing. This comes after a raid on December 30, at the same location netted 600 liters of raw materials.

Acharya is a familiar face to law enforcement, with a history of producing dangerous illicit liquor. During the raid, officers struggled to gain access to the third floor, where Acharya keeps guard dogs with all doors locked. After apprehending the dogs, they were able to detain Acharya. Inspector Anand Chaudhary, AJ Rathore, US Kedare, Ganesh Nagve and team participated in the raid.

Consecutive raids on same location

This raid follows a January 2023 crime branch seizure of 1800 liters of liquor. Authorities believe Acharya uses harmful ingredients like sodium bicarbonate, jaggery powder, and ammonium chloride (Navsagar) to produce the liquor, selling it for Rs 100 per half-liter in plastic bottles. The department had previously confiscated Acharya's equipment, but he appears to have restarted production using new technology.