Fake Liquor Factory Busted in Gujarat’s Kutch, Nearly 10,000 IMFL Bottles Seized

Days after a deadly spurious-liquor tragedy in Bhavnagar claimed 13 lives, Gujarat Police have uncovered an alleged counterfeit liquor manufacturing operation in Kutch, seizing nearly 10,000 bottles, more than 600 litres of an unidentified chemical, and liquor-making equipment. The raid has raised fresh concerns about illicit alcohol networks operating despite Gujarat’s long-standing prohibition regime.

The operation was conducted at a makeshift facility in Adipur, where Border Range Inspector General of Police Chirag Koradia and his team recovered around 9,400 empty bottles and 600 bottles containing 180 ml of liquor each. Police also seized around 600 litres of chemicals, which have been sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) to determine their composition. Investigators additionally found about 200 litres of finished product stored in a barrel.

The scale of the operation is significant. The 10,000 bottles, each with a capacity of 180 ml, could collectively hold around 1,800 litres of liquor, equivalent to nearly 2,400 standard 750-ml bottles. By comparison, investigators in the Bhavnagar tragedy have traced the distribution of about 300 bottles of methanol-laced liquor.

Two men detained in the Kutch raid were identified as Hitesh Kheema Bamaniya, from Mumbai, and Bijnedra Lalchand Jat, from Mathura, Uttar Pradesh. Police are investigating the source of the chemicals, bottles and other materials and attempting to establish where the counterfeit liquor was intended to be distributed.

The raid comes amid an expanding investigation into the Bhavnagar hooch tragedy, in which 67 people reportedly consumed methanol-containing liquor packaged in counterfeit bottles carrying the name of a popular IMFL brand. Thirteen people have died, while Gujarat Police have arrested 27 people in the case so far. The State Monitoring Cell is conducting a multi-state investigation into the source of methanol and other chemicals, as well as the transporters and suppliers involved in moving raw materials.

Forensic testing in the Bhavnagar case found one seized bottle containing 38.59% methanol and only 0.94% ethanol. Investigators have traced one batch to 25 cartons, or around 300 bottles, distributed through several bootleggers. Police have also been examining the procurement of methanol, bottles and counterfeit stickers from outside Gujarat.

The Kutch discovery underscores the continuing challenge posed by illicit alcohol in Gujarat, a dry state where manufacture, sale and consumption of alcohol are generally prohibited. Yet enforcement agencies continue to intercept large consignments. Official data showed that police seized 1,11,50,959 IMFL bottles worth ₹317.82 crore in 2025, compared with 94,40,110 bottles worth ₹182.06 crore in 2024.

The state’s border surveillance also remains crucial. Government data showed that checkposts bordering Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh seized more than 10.49 lakh IMFL bottles worth ₹38.89 crore and 1.59 lakh beer bottles worth ₹3.33 crore over a two-year period, with 1,018 people arrested.