KOTTAYAM: With two consecutive dry days, the first day of the month and Gandhi Jayanti, the illegal sale of liquor in the district has resurged according to the forensics department. While only a handful of people were arrested, reports indicate that people both in the city and the countryside stockpiled substantial quantities of liquor and sold it at exorbitant prices. Beverage outlets closed at 7 pm on September 30 due to end-of-month accounting. The first day fell on a Sunday and the subsequent day was a holiday due to Gandhi Jayanti. Recognizing this opportunity, a group purchased inexpensive brands in bulk and resold them generating profits of up to Rs 250 per bottle. Typically, there is only one dry day but this time with Gandhi Jayanti, bars and beverage outlets remained closed for two days.

Vigilance efforts did not yield significant results. Even though the police and excise authorities increased their scrutiny to prevent the illegal liquor trade, only five people were arrested in the district. Some people had stockpiled liquor days in advance and profited from it on the dry day. They purchased pints and litres of alcohol, and some even acquired alcohol from multiple outlets, as transporting more than two litres at a time was challenging.

Profits soared with potential gains of up to Rs 300 per bottle. Half a litre of liquor which is normally priced at Rs 430 was being sold for Rs 700. Yesterday was a very demanding day for the soldiers.