Manipur Police arrested seven individuals from Phayeng Bazar in Imphal West district for allegedly operating a covert liquor manufacturing setup. The arrests were made during a coordinated raid conducted on Thursday, 20 November.
Those taken into custody were identified as Chingakham Bihari of Kadamtala in Jiribam district, Madhav Lahon of Borbali Gaon in Dibrugarh, Chandan Lahon of Barbeel in Dibrugarh, Bimal Neog of Gelua in Dhemaji, Buddheswar Neog of Dibrugarh, Hemanta Neog of Dhemaji, and Tilak Neog of Geluba in Dhemaji. Police stated that the suspects were allegedly involved in a large-scale illegal bottling and packaging operation.
During the raid, officers seized several 200-litre steel drums containing alcohol-like liquid, bottling equipment, pressure gauges, and plastic drums filled with alcohol-scented substance. Investigators also recovered unlabelled bottles, empty barrels, label stickers marked “McDowell”, and multiple carton boxes branded “Iconiq” and “McDowell”, pointing to a counterfeit liquor network.
Authorities further confiscated a packet of bottle covers printed with McDowell branding along with a red mini truck believed to have been used for transporting materials. Police said an investigation is underway to determine the scale of distribution and possible links to wider supply chains.
