Man held for selling foreign liquor

HYDERABAD: A businessman from Guntur was caught by the city police on Friday while selling foreign liquor illegally.Police recovered 26 blended Scotch whiskey bottles worth Rs 1 lakh from him.Task Force sleuths said the accused, 58-year-old P Sambasiva Rao, deals in mobile phones in Guntur and is addicted to vices like playing cards.To earn more to spend on his vices, he decided to sell foreign liquor at higher prices in the city.Rao came to the city and developed contacts with those who consume foreign liquor. “Sambasiva Rao buys foreign liquor bottles from a resident of Narasaraopet, M Anjaneyulu, and sells them at a higher price to customers here,” Task Force DCP Ch Ramchander said. Once an order is placed, Anjaneyulu would send the bottles through Morning Star Travels at Ameerpet.“He procured bottles of Red Label blended Scotch Whiskey for Rs 1,600, Black Label blended Scotch whiskey for Rs 2,200 and Chivas Regal blended Scotch Whiskey for Rs 2,500 from Anjaneyulu and sells the same at Rs 1,900, Rs 2,900 and Rs 3,000 respectively to his customers,” he said.Last week, Sambasiva Rao placed an order for 26 liquor bottles and came to the courier office at Ameerpet when he was nabbed. Police recovered 18 bottles of Johnnie Walker Red Label Scotch whiskey and four each of Johnnie Walker Black Label Old Scotch Whiskey and Chivas Regal Premium Scotch Whiskey