Borabanda police on Saturday invoked the Preventive Detention Act against a 45-year-old woman accused of repeatedly running an illegal belt shop and selling liquor without authorisation in the locality, escalating enforcement against what authorities describe as a persistent public nuisance and law-and-order concern.
The accused, Vemula Sarala, a resident of Banjara Nagar in Borabanda, had allegedly been operating the belt shop for the past few years and was involved in several cases related to unauthorised liquor sales, police said. The preventive detention orders were executed under the Telangana Prevention of Dangerous Activities Act, following directions issued by Hyderabad Police Commissioner V.C. Sajjanar.
Police said the move was intended to curb repeated violations that had continued despite earlier cases and warnings. In Telangana, belt shops — informal outlets that sell liquor without a valid licence — are treated as illegal under the Excise framework, and authorities have increasingly relied on preventive measures against habitual offenders when ordinary prosecution is seen as insufficient to stop the activity.
Officials said the woman's alleged conduct had gone beyond a one-off offence, with police describing her as a repeat violator who continued to sell liquor illegally over an extended period. The use of the PD Act, which allows authorities to detain individuals considered a threat to public order, reflects the seriousness with which the police are treating repeated unauthorised liquor sales in the area.
Alongside the detention order, police issued a broader warning to those operating belt shops or selling liquor without a valid licence in Borabanda, telling them to stop such activities immediately. Cases would be registered under the Telangana Excise Act against violators, police said, while habitual offenders could face action under the PD Act. The warning also extended to those who provide premises or shelter for such illegal businesses, with police saying they too could be named as accused.
The announcement is part of a wider enforcement message aimed at dismantling the informal network that sustains illegal liquor sales, which often depends not only on the seller but also on property owners, local facilitators and others who allow the trade to continue behind closed doors. By explicitly cautioning those who lend space or protection to belt shops, police signalled that enforcement would not be limited to the person directly selling the liquor.
Police also appealed to residents to report illegal liquor sales through Dial 112, assuring them that the identity of informants would be kept confidential. The confidentiality assurance is meant to encourage community participation in reporting unlawful activity, especially in neighbourhoods where residents may fear retaliation or social pressure if they come forward.
The action in Borabanda comes amid continuing scrutiny of illegal liquor outlets in Hyderabad's residential pockets, where belt shops are often seen as a source of nuisance, disorder and repeated police intervention. While the immediate case centres on one accused woman, the police warning suggests a broader campaign to deter the ecosystem that allows such operations to survive.
For residents of Borabanda, the detention order is likely to be seen as a strong signal that repeated violations will not be treated as routine excise offences alone. For police, it is also a test of whether preventive detention can serve as an effective tool to break the cycle of illegal liquor sales in neighbourhoods where enforcement has struggled to keep pace with recurring violations.