While COVID- 19 has been trending and has taken over the internet for weeks if not for months, information about home- made alcohol was widely searched for. According to Google Trends, online searches for “how to make alcohol at home” escalated in India between March 22-28, the week when the first nationwide lockdown was imposed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Reportedly, people have been resorting to the sale and consumption of illegal booze at various pockets of the country. According to a report from Times of India, a man named Kiran used this as an opportunity to sell alcohol for higher price in Bangalore using Instagram. The report states that he managed to acquire alcohol from defence canteen and sold it for higher prices purely for lucrative reasons. It adds that he used payment apps like Google pay and asked the customers to meet him at a pre decided spot in order to deliver booze.
"I paid 700 rupees ($9) for a 170 rupees whisky bottle," Manish, a resident from Mumbai told India Today. He was asked to visit a nearby milk shop early in the morning, to take the delivery. He also added that “many are willing to pay even higher prices for liquor, but can’t get any. I was lucky as I at least got some.”
Assam witnessed people queuing up in wine shops when they reopened on Monday, after being closed for 26 days. "I feel good that (liquor) shops have opened today. I used to get bored at home as we were only sitting (at home) but now this (liquor) will entertain me," a customer who gave his name as Santosh said to India Today in Guwahati, Assam. Though officials endorsed the usage of masks and sanitizers and requested people to maintain social distancing norms, multiple media reports highlight how they were violated by people.
Some of the states are giving serious consideration to re-opening of alcohol shops. This move is anticipated to create havoc since the mobilization of people could lead to multifold increase in the spread of the virus. Police in Tamil Nadu’s Cuddalore district are now using drones to keep tab on illegal sale of liquor.
