Andhra Pradesh’s excise minister Kollu Ravindra stated that the enforcement has stepped up, where an authenticity app rolled out, and no political cover will be tolerated and thus unveiled a hard-hitting action plan aimed at eliminating the production and sale of spurious liquor.

Addressing a press conference on Saturday, Excise Minister Kollu Ravindra warned that the government will pursue perpetrators without any mercy. The minister said enforcement teams have already broken up organised operations, arrested suspects and will use legal provisions to punish those spreading false narratives about the crisis.

Ravindra provided specifics on the Mulakalacheruvu case, saying enforcement units recovered fake bottles, counterfeit labels and sealing equipment, and identified more than 20 suspects, of whom several have been arrested. He said the probe has been split among four teams working across districts, including follow-up raids in Hyderabad and Bengaluru to trace supply chains.

Taking aim at opposition, the minister accused them of sensationalising liquor-related deaths for political gain and warned of criminal proceedings under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) against those who peddle fake narratives in media or social platforms. He called for evidence before allegations are made public, saying the administration will register FIRs and carry out post-mortems wherever necessary.

The government has introduced APTATS, a bottle-scan track-and-trace application that lets consumers verify a bottle’s origin, batch, depot and retail history by scanning a QR/label code. Officials say the app will empower consumers to spot counterfeit products and bolster real-time surveillance of the supply chain. The APTATS listing and related track-and-trace information are already visible on app registries. 

Ravindra vowed zero tolerance, “Every outlet will face surprise inspections and licenses of shops found complicit will be revoked. Whoever is involved, no matter how powerful, will not be spared,” he said, urging citizens to come forward with information to help enforcement agencies close the case.