Cuttack: In a crackdown on illegal liquor operations, the Excise Department today busted a spurious foreign liquor manufacturing unit in Cuttack district and arrested two persons, including a woman.

Acting on a tip-off, the district mobile squad conducted a raid at Alinagar village under Mahanga police limits. During the operation, officials uncovered a well-organised setup used for manufacturing counterfeit foreign liquor.

The accused have been identified as Sukadev Samal and Bidulata Samal. The raid was carried out at their residence, from where the team seized a substantial quantity of materials used in the illegal activity.

The seized items include 14 litres of spirit and 180 bottles of duplicate foreign liquor, amounting to approximately 32.4 litres, along with a large number of counterfeit labels.

Among the labels recovered were 600 bearing the name “McDowell No. 1 Rum” and 400 of “Royal Stag Whisky”, taking the total to 1,000 fake labels. Additionally, 1,140 Excise Adhesive Labels (EALs), 280 empty glass bottles, and 410 bottle caps were also seized.

A case has been registered in this connection, and both accused have been taken into custody.

According to Excise Department sources, the estimated value of the seized counterfeit liquor and related materials is around ₹1,79,360.

Further investigation is underway to ascertain the extent of the network and possible links to larger liquor smuggling operations.