E-Paper
3 held, over 5,500 litres illicit liquor seized in Mohali village
The excise department had conducted a raid at a godown in Devinagar village of Dera Bassi on Thursday
Cracking down on illicit liquor trade in the state, the excise department officials on Thursday seized 5,500 litres of illicit liquor during a raid conducted at a godown in Devinagar village of Dera Bassi.
Divulging the details, a spokesperson of the excise and taxation department said that a special team seized 5,500 litres of illicit liquor from 26 drums of 200-litre capacity each and six drums of 50-litre capacity each. During the raid conducted at the premises of M/s Binni Chemicals godown, a Mahindra Bolero (PB 65 Z 7657) was also impounded.
The spokesperson added that owner of the godown Rajesh Kumar alias Bobby, a resident of Sector 2, Panchkula, failed to produce any document and did not possess a licence to sell or store liquor. A communiqué has already been sent to the Dera Bassi SDM in this regard for initiating necessary action, he added.
The owner and two labourers identified as Mahesh Kumar and Ajay Kumar were arrested from the spot. A case under the Punjab Excise Act was registered against the accused at Dera Bassi police station.
During interrogation, the accused revealed that he had started selling liquor during the lockdown period and he was also selling spirit to the sanitiser manufacturers. Investigations are in progress to trace further links of the accused in the case.
The spokesperson added that the firm raided by the excise team was on its radar and under constant surveillance for the past few days. The investigation revealed that the firm was also involved in the illicit sale of various types of acids besides spirit without any licence.
