Belagavi, May 24 -- Excise officials in Karnataka's Belagavi district have busted an interstate racket involved in the illegal transportation of spirit concealed inside an oil tanker. One person has been arrested and spirit worth lakhs of rupees has been seized during the operation near Jamboti village in Khanapur taluk.

The arrested accused has been identified as Siddaraju Puttaswamy Shetty, a tanker driver from Hegginavalu village in Nanjangud taluk of Mysuru district. During the raid, officials seized 14,000 litres of illicit spirit worth nearly Rs 14 lakh, an oil tanker valued at around Rs 21 lakh, and a mobile phone worth Rs 1,500.

According to excise officials, the gang had adopted a highly sophisticated method to avoid suspicion ...