THIRUVALLA: A big scam by siphoning off spirit brought to make liquor has been reported. Excise Enforcement and Legal Metrology teams inspected tankers carrying spirit to Travancore Sugars and Chemicals under the state government and found a shortage of 20,000 litres of spirit. This costs Rs 30 lakh in the public market. Three tanker lorry drivers and staff were taken into custody. The excise team also found Rs 9.5 lakh in the cabin of the tanker lorries carrying the spirit.

Rs 6 lakh was seized from the cabin of one lorry and 3.5 lakh from another. The drivers have stated that the money was brought to hand over to Arun Kumar, a native of Thiruvanvandoor, an employee who keeps records of the spirit in the factory. He is a temporary employee of the distillery. A team led by the Deputy Commissioner of Excise and Enforcement is questioning Arun Kumar. More people have been reported to be involved in the scam.

Jawan Rum is being manufactured at Travancore Sugars for the Beverages Corporation. The contract to supply 1,15,000 litres of spirit from Madhya Pradesh was awarded to a private company based in Ernakulam. The final load as per the contract arrived yesterday.

Excise enforcement has been monitoring the situation since crossing the border following a tip-off that there is a decrease in the level of spirit in the lorries. The excise team took into custody the drivers who entered the factory with the tanker lorry yesterday morning.

A search of two tanks of 40,000 litres and one tank of 35,000 liters revealed irregularities of 20,000 litres of spirit. It is assumed that the lorries coming through Manjeswaram siphoned off spirit at the border and sold it. Under the supervision of the Legal Metrology Department, the weight test of the tanker lorries was carried out at the Way Bridge in Perunthuruthy. Today an accurate measurement of the spirit will be made under the leadership of an expert team of legal metrology.