Mirpur Police Seize Illegal Liquor Factory in DadyalMirpurmirpur

Police said they also seized a large quantity of empty bottles, bottle caps, labels and other material, along with a liquor-making furnace and packaging machinery, from the premises.

During the investigation, the factory owner revealed the support of proscribed Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) core member Khawaja Mehran and his father, Khawaja Arshad, police claimed. Police said further investigation is underway to determine whether the proceeds from the illegal business were used for any protest activity or for personal gain.

A case has been registered against the accused under the relevant provisions of the Prohibition and Narcotics Act, and further investigation is underway, police said.

<h2>Part of wider crackdown</h2> The raid is part of an ongoing crackdown on narcotics and illicit liquor in the district. Police have in recent months conducted a series of operations against drug dealers in Dadyal and other parts of Mirpur, recovering contraband including liquor, heroin and other narcotics, and rounding up multiple accused.

Officials said the district police, on the special directives of SSP Mirpur Khawar Ali Shaukat, have intensified action against drug traffickers and criminal elements, with the stated aim of making Mirpur a drug-free district. Police have appealed to the public to report suspicious activities to the nearest police station or the police helpline.

The sale and manufacture of liquor is prohibited in Azad Jammu and Kashmir except under strictly regulated permits, and police said operations against unlicensed production units would continue across the district in the coming days.

Police emphasised that the alleged link between the seized factory and the proscribed committee member is based on the arrested owner&#8217;s statement and remains under investigation. No independent verification of the claim was available, and the accused are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

The latest raid follows a sustained campaign against narcotics in the district. In an earlier major operation reported in March 2025, district police said they had arrested 170 drug traffickers, including what was described as a notorious group of international drug paddlers, and seized pure alcohol worth over Rs10 million along with wine cans and manufacturing material from a distillery unearthed in the district. Police have repeatedly appealed to the public to report suspicious activities to the nearest police station or the police helpline so that offenders can be brought to justice.