Patna, May 1: Police today seized a huge quantity of liquor from the riverine areas of Patna and neighbouring Vaishali districts.

Four persons suspected to be involved in the illegal trade were also arrested.

A police team headed by Patna senior superintendent of police (SSP) Manu Maharaaj conducted raids in Jafarabad and Raghopur riverine areas and destroyed half-a-dozen illicit liquor manufacturing units.

The SSP said a number of containers of country-made liquor were seized during the raid. The police used motorised boats to cordon off the area to prevent the escape route of those involved in the illegal business, he added.

The members of the raiding teams were surprised to recover a large quantity of syringes and medicines used by the manufacturers. For the first time, syringes and medicines have been seized from any illegal liquor manufacturing units in the state in recent past, said a senior police officer.

Maharaaj said this was the first major operation against liquor mafia after promulgation of prohibition in the state. A complaint has been lodged against the four with Deedarganj police station, the SSP added.

On Friday, a Vaishali police team had seized around 2,500 bottles of Indian-made foreign liquor (IMFL) meant for use in the panchayat elections from Madarpur village under the jurisdiction of the Ganga Bridge police station.

The raid was conducted after Vaishali superintendent of police Rakesh Kumar received a tip-off that a huge quantity of liquor was stocked in the house of one Ram Shankar Rai (45) in the village. The liquor bottles were found hidden in haystack and were to be used during panchayat polls and also for further sale. Rai tried to escape but was caught after a chase.

Ganga Bridge police station house officer Avanish Kumar said Rai was a candidate in the panchayat polls from Hilalpur and had purchased IMFL bottles from a local liquor shop-owner after prohibition was enforced.

Avanish added: "The IMFL stock was meant for use during panchayat polls scheduled on May 22 and May 30 in the locality. Rai also sold it at exorbitant price to tipplers. We are conducting raids to arrest the shop-owner, who had illegally sold the stock to Rai."

In Samastipur, the police carried out raids on Saturday night at Vishunpur, Jitwarpur and Hamikabad villages and seized several cartons of IMFL. "The consignment was stocked for use in the ensuing panchayat polls," a deputy superintendent of police said.

The operation against the liquor mafia has been intensified in the wake of chief minister Nitish Kumar's directive to take stern action against the violators of law. Nitish, at a meeting on Saturday, asked the top cops to take promulgation of prohibition as a new challenge.