Drones used to track & bust Narkhed hooch dens

Nagpur: The Pune hooch tragedy that claimed 15 lives has triggered a statewide crackdown against illicit liquor. Nagpur Rural and City Police have launched an aggressive multi-pronged offensive using drone surveillance, raids and strict legal action.Early Saturday, Jalalkheda police station of Nagpur Rural under SP Harssh A Poddar busted a major illegal hand-distilled Mahua liquor unit in Ramti in Narkhed. Police registered 10 cases under the Maharashtra Prohibition Act and arrested seven people involved in production and sale.Authorities seized 465 litres of crude liquor, 410 litres of raw material, 25 bottles of foreign liquor brands and 13 bottles of country liquor, total estimated worth Rs81,000. Operational hand kilns were destroyed on the spot. Four more individuals were booked for consuming liquor.The drone surveillance by rural police, initiated a couple of months ago in a first-of-its-kind move, will be resumed to locate and target hidden hooch dens operating deep inside dense forests and tribal areas of Hingna and surrounding talukas.A major production unit was destroyed in Chandrapur Rithi village in Hingna taluka in the early hours of Saturday by the crime branch under CP Ravinder Singal, Jt CP Navinchandra Reddy and DCP Rahul Maknikar. Searches were conducted at Bhiwsenkhori and adjoining areas too."On Friday, around 40 cases were registered against bootleggers and liquor-related offences in city," said Jt CP Reddy. The intensified drive follows chief minister Devendra Fadnavis' directive for a CID probe into the Pune incident.Both rural and city police are coordinating to dismantle the entire illicit liquor supply chain — from remote jungle production to urban distribution.Senior officers highlighted the use of drones as a game-changer in anti-hooch operations. "We are sending a strong message that illegal liquor activities will not be tolerated," said a senior official.Box:‘First in State': 68 Cases Under BNS Section 112 in Nagpur Rural Nagpur Rural Police have registered 68 cases under the new Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita Section 112 targeting petty organised crime and liquor syndicates. This is the highest number of actions under the new law in Maharashtra.SP Harssh A Poddar said that BNS Section 112 enables arrest and makes bail difficult. Between June 2025 and May 30 this year, Poddar's team has issued six MPDA detention orders (15 more in pipeline), and also passed 47 externment orders. In 2026 alone, 1,555 cases have been registered while property worth Rs1.24 crore was seized.