Ludhiana: 20 boxes of illicit liquor seized, 2 held

Tightening the noose on the liquor mafia, a team of excise officials seized 20 boxes of illicit liquor at Bharat Nagar Chowk in Ludhiana on Thursday and nabbed two men

Tightening the noose on the liquor mafia, a team of excise officials seized 20 boxes of illicit liquor at Bharat Nagar Chowk on Thursday and nabbed two men.

The accused and the illicit liquor seized from them in Ludhiana police custody on Thursday. (HT)

The accused have been identified as Vineet Kumar of Ludhiana and Tanvir Singh of Chandigarh. Their accomplice, Prince Kukreja of Chandigarh, managed to escape. Preliminary investigation revealed that the accused are part of a huge racket of smuggling expensive scotch whiskey into Punjab.

A spokesperson of the excise department said a checkpoint had been established on Bharat Nagar intersection on the basis of a tip-off. The team stopped two cars for checking and confiscated 20 boxes of illicit liquor and 83 fake holograms ( excise label) . The two men who were arrested were taken to Division Number 5 police station and a FIR was registered.

Punjab excise and taxation minister Harpal Singh Cheema said crackdown on illicit liquor will be intensified in the coming days.