Thiruvananthapuram, July 17 (IANS) The Kerala police have busted a Bangaore-based inter-state gang involved in illicit liquor trade. State Home Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan said Thursday that 35 members of the gang have been arrested during the six-month-long police operation.

“Among those arrested are three key members of the gang and they were produced before the court Thursday,” the minister said, adding this was the first time in the history of the state police that a powerful inter-state gang, based in Bangalore, was busted.

Balakrishnan said the leader of the gang, Nagaraju from Karnataka, would soon be arrested. Nagaraju’s manager has been arrested.

The police started investigations in January 2008 following the seizure of 8,450 litres of illicit liquor from a truck meant to transport cement from Malabar Cements, a state public sector undertaking.

The state police crime branch has seized a total of 35,000 litres of illicit liquor, confiscated six trucks used for the transportation of the liquor, and arrested 35 people, Balakrishnan told reporters here.

“This is a big achievement and we will give special rewards to the officials who participated in the operation,” he added.

Director General of Police (DGP) Raman Srivatsava said a police team sent to Bangalore had received several death threats and risked their lives to bust the gang. “We got in touch with central police officials and also the Karnataka police and we could bust the gang.”

“We have found that the gang is involved in illicit liquor trade in entire south India, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh,” the DGP added.