Kochi | The Excise Department on Thursday seized 1,350 litres of spirit allegedly meant for manufacturing illicit liquor ahead of the Onam season and arrested two persons at Angamaly near here, officials said.

The arrested were identified as Santhosh and Ratheesh.

The seizure was made during a raid at a hollow-bricks manufacturing unit at Kothakulangara in Angamaly following a tip-off.

According to Excise officials, the spirit had been smuggled from Hubballi in Karnataka in two vehicles and stored in a locked godown attached to the unit.

During the raid, officials recovered 1,350 litres of spirit stored in 39 cans and arrested the two accused from the premises.

Excise Deputy Commissioner P K Satheesh told reporters that preliminary investigations indicated the spirit was meant for manufacturing illicit liquor for sale during the upcoming Onam season.

The investigation is focusing on two Paravur natives, Rajesh and Pradeep, who allegedly supplied the spirit to the arrested men, he said, adding that efforts were under way to trace and arrest the remaining accused.

Officials recovered empty bottles allegedly meant for packaging the illicit liquor and measuring equipment suspected to have been used for mixing the spirit.

Satheesh said one litre of spirit could be used to produce around 2.5 litres of illicit Indian Made Foreign Liquor, making the trade highly profitable.

He said spirit costs around Rs 60-70 per litre in neighbouring states, while a one-litre bottle of the illicit liquor fetches around Rs 700 in Kerala, making the trade highly lucrative.

The Excise Department said the arrested men had previous records in narcotics and contraband-related cases.

Officials said the investigation would focus on tracing the interstate supply network through which the spirit was allegedly smuggled into Kerala.