Country liquor worth Rs 1 lakh seized at Wathoda in Warora; two held, one on the run

The Local Crime Branch's drive against the illegal sale and smuggling of liquor in Chandrapur district is continuing. In the latest action, a raid on Wathoda village in Warora tehsil led to the seizure of country liquor worth about Rs 1 lakh. Police have arrested two accused, while one is absconding.

According to police, a team of the Local Crime Branch, Chandrapur, from the Warora and Chimur sub-divisions was on patrol in the Shegaon police station area on October 17, 2026. The patrol was being carried out in view of the coming festivals and for maintaining law and order. Between October 16 and 17, the team received a tip-off that a large quantity of illegal country liquor was hidden in Wathoda village.

On receiving the information, the team raided a suspected spot in Wathoda. A house belonging to one of the accused was searched thoroughly, and 2,500 sealed 90 ml bottles of "Rocket Santra" country liquor were found hidden in 25 cardboard cartons. Police put the market value of the entire stock at Rs 1,00,000, that is, Rs 1 lakh.

Police caught two accused at the spot. They are Nikhil Shekhar Jongoni, 23, a resident of Khambada, Warora tehsil, and Pravin Marotrao Surse, 32, a resident of Barwa, Warora tehsil. According to police, Prashant alias Parshu Atram, a resident of Wathoda, Warora tehsil, who played the main role in the smuggling, fled the spot as soon as he got wind of the police action. Police are still searching for him and he has not been arrested so far.

On a complaint by the Local Crime Branch, Crime No. 315/2026 has been registered at Shegaon police station. The accused have been booked under Sections 65(e) and 83 of the Maharashtra Prohibition Act. The two arrested men have been handed over to Shegaon police for further legal action.

Police are now trying to find out where such a large stock of liquor was brought from and to whom it was to be sold. The police administration has expressed confidence that the absconding accused, Prashant alias Parshu Atram, will also be caught soon. Police said the teams of the Warora and Chimur sub-divisions are working with full vigilance to break the network of illegal liquor smugglers in the district, and the action has caused panic among liquor smugglers in the Warora-Shegaon area.