45 tonne lahan seized from Tarn Taran village, 1 arrested

Two accused managed to escape, the lahan was being produced using jaggery, in an abandoned haveli in Mari Samra village, falling under Bhikhiwind sub-division of Tarn Taran

An illicit liquor smuggling racket was busted from Mari Samra village, falling under Bhikhiwind sub-division, with the recovery of 45 tonne lahan on Saturday.

A case under sections of the Excise Act has been registered against the accused at Bhikhiwind police station for producing lahan in Tarn Taran. (HT Photo)

Following a tip-off, excise officials, along with Punjab Police, carried out a raid at an abandoned haveli in the village, where the illicit liquor was being produced using jaggery.

The team nabbed one member of the module, identified as Jugraj Singh, while two others, Samsher Singh and Dilbagh Singh Baba, managed to escape.

Excise and taxation officer (ETO) Navjot Bharti said, “We got information about the illicit liquor smuggling racket being run from the village and dispatched a team under the supervision of inspector Jatinder Singh.”

“The team recovered 27 drums, each filled with 200kg lahan, two working stills and 154 bottles of illicit liquor,” said Bharti while adding that teams are working to nab the other two accused.

A case under sections of the Excise Act has been registered against the accused at Bhikhiwind police station.