Excise officials bust illegal wine-making unit, arrest one

The Excise department has busted an illegal wine-making unit in Malkajgiri and arrested a man who manufactured and sold wine without a licence for nearly a year.

The accused, identified as Antony Peter, was producing wine at an unauthorised facility and selling it in Neredmet, Secunderabad and Kapra areas.

According to the police, Antony Peter learnt the wine-making process through YouTube videos and began the venture as a source of self-employment. He produced seven varieties of wine using grapes, pineapple, guava, sweet lime, sapota, banana and betel leaves.

Officials said the fruits were fermented for 15 days with sugar and wheat before being filtered and bottled. The accused allegedly sold 750 ml bottles for ₹300.

Following a tip-off, the Malkajgiri District Task Force raided the premises and seized 377.7 litres of wine, 502 bottles and equipment used in the manufacturing process. The seized stock is valued at around ₹1.5 lakh.

The accused and the seized material were handed over to the Kapra Excise Station for further investigation.