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Premium labels, cheap booze: 2 arrested as liquor racket busted in Ludhiana
During the raid, officials seized 106 empty bottles, 39 premium liquor bottles, refilling equipment and a Swift Dzire car allegedly used in the operation
Excise officials have busted a racket in Ludhiana where fraudsters were refilling empty bottles of premium imported liquor with low-grade alcohol and selling them to unsuspecting customers at exorbitant rates.
Acting on a tip-off, enforcement teams of the Ludhiana East Range raided a premises on Friday and arrested Amit Vij of Mehmoodpura and Pankaj Saini of New Madhopuri. Officials said the duo was running a well-organised operation to exploit the soaring demand for luxury alcohol.
Investigators revealed that bottles of top brands, such as Glenlivet, Black Dog, Chivas Regal, Johnnie Walker Gold Label, Hendrick’s Gin and Godawan were being refilled with inferior locally sourced liquor. “This was a clear attempt to cheat consumers and pocket huge profits while depriving the state of revenue,” an excise official said.
During the raid, officials seized 106 empty bottles, 39 premium liquor bottles, refilling equipment and a Swift Dzire car allegedly used in the operation. An FIR has been registered under Sections 61, 1, 14 of the Excise Act, Sections 318(4) (cheating), 338 (forgery of valuable securities, wills or documents), 336 (3) (forgery with the intent that the forged document or electronic record ) and 340 (2) (fraudulent or dishonest use of a forged document or electronic record) of the the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita at the division number 3 police station.
Excise officials termed it a sophisticated racket with serious implications. “Not only were consumers being duped, but their health was also at risk due to adulterated liquor,” an officer added.
In a separate raid the same day, the team recovered 60 bottles of illicit liquor from Burma village in Samrala. The consignment, marked “For Sale in Chandigarh only”, was allegedly being smuggled into Punjab. One accused, Vikramjeet Singh, was arrested in this case.
Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema lauded the crackdown and reiterated the state’s commitment to dismantling illegal liquor networks. “The excise department will continue rigorous drives, including surprise inspections and coordinated inter-state operations, to curb the menace of spurious and non-duty-paid liquor,” he said. The minister also urged citizens to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity to excise or police authorities.
On March 22, the excise department of Ludhiana East Range had unearthed a large-scale liquor scam involving the refilling of premium Scotch whisky bottles with low-grade alcohol. Excise teams and police had raided premises in Jaspal Bangar, Lohara and Kanganwal areas. There, they discovered a massive stash of empty bottles from top international liquor brands, including Chivas Regal, Glenlivet, Dewar’s, Jim Beam, 100 Pipers and Johnnie Walker Black Label.
