Kerala police raids chicken farm of local BJP leader, seize 14,000 bottles of illicit liquor

Thrissur: A local BJP leader and his accomplice were arrested on Tuesday by Kerala police following seizure of over 14,000 bottles of illicit foreign liquor and over 2,400 litres of spirit stored in a hidden room inside a godown of his chicken farm here.

Acting on a tip-off, Kerala police arrested Lalu (50), a local BJP leader and a former panchayat member and his accomplice, Idukki native Lawrence (52).

Police said the illicit liquor and spirit were recovered from a hidden room inside a godown in the chicken farm at Vellanchira near Kodakara here.

The raid was led by Chalakkudy and Irinjalakuda DySPs, police said.

"As part of our raid, we opened a godown inside this farm and found a hidden room in which all these were stored," a senior police official told the media.

Police also said there was no bottling unit in the farm and the investigation is on to identify other accused in the matter.

'It seems like there was transportation of spirit from here. But we are yet to ascertain the source of 14,000 bottles of liquor with IMFL stickers,' police said.