During a recent raid on Saturday, the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau uncovered serious irregularities at two Bevco outlets located in North Paravur and Elanji. This operation, aptly named Operation Moonlight, was initiated by the Vigilance in response to specific information regarding questionable practices in the sale and purchase of liquor within the state.
The vigilance officials made startling discoveries during their inspections. At the North Paravur outlet, an unaccounted sum of Rs 17,000 was found, while the Elanji outlet had an unexplained Rs 10,000. Shockingly, it was revealed that the staff at these outlets were not only charging exorbitant prices for liquor but, in some instances, were neglecting to issue bills altogether. Even more deceptively, they were misappropriating the funds designated for purchasing paper to wrap liquor bottles, without actually using the paper.
Furthermore, the vigilance team uncovered a scheme in which employees were collecting empty bottles and falsely categorizing them as damaged. Reportedly, at one outlet alone, nearly Rs 10,000 was amassed through this dishonest practice.
In contrast to these fraudulent activities, it’s noteworthy that Bevco, among state-run corporations, provides the highest festival bonuses to its employees. During festivals like Onam, these bonuses can reach as high as Rs 90,000.
Additional allegations emerged during the raid, suggesting that Bevco staff were selling liquor to migrant workers at inflated prices without issuing proper bills. There were also claims that Bevco employees were coercing customers into purchasing costly brands by falsely asserting that the more affordable options were out of stock. To exacerbate the situation further, most of the outlets were found to be non-compliant with the requirement of displaying prices and available stock.
This extensive operation encompassed 78 outlets in various regions, including Thiruvananthapuram, Ernakulam, Thrissur, Palakkad, Wayanad, and Kasaragod. The raids were meticulously conducted between 6.30 pm and 7.00 pm, as reported by Manorama News.
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