Punjab: Authorities probing pilferage of scotch from Khasa distillery in Amritsar

The police and the excise department have launched a joint investigation after three persons were caught with 11 cartons of illegal whisky smuggled from the distillery

The state excise department and Punjab Police have launched a joint investigation to probe the pilferage of whisky from one of the biggest and oldest distilleries in Amritsar.

The investigation was started after three persons, including an employee of the distillery situated in Khasa village on the Amritsar-Attari road, were arrested for the smuggling of blended scotch whisky by the Gharinda police of Amritsar-rural district.

The investigation was started after three persons, including an employee of the distillery situated in Khasa village on the Amritsar-Attari road, were arrested for the smuggling of blended scotch whisky by the Gharinda police of Amritsar-rural district.

The arrested men are Rajbir Singh alias Robin, Shivam and Jaspal Singh.

A senior police official, who is part of the investigation, said, “Rajbir, who runs a mobile shop near the distillery, was arrested with 11 cartons of whiskey on Wednesday night.”

“During his questioning, the accused disclosed the names of Shivam and Jaspal. Shivam is posted as a technical fitter in the factory while Jaspal is a former security guard of the factory. On the statement of Rajbir, both Shivam and Jaspal were also nabbed. The accused disclosed that the whisky was being smuggled from the distillery,” the police official added.

The official said the accused have been taken on two-day remand and have been booked under various sections of the Excise Act.

“During the preliminary probe, it has emerged that Rajbir was filling the bottles of liquor at his shop using the distillery’s blend. During the investigation, the role of more employees will be ascertained,” the official added.

Senior superintendent of police (SSP-rural) Satinder Singh said, “The senior officials of the excise department have visited Amritsar and we are investigating the case thoroughly.”

Sources said the excise department’s commissioner Varun Roojam, deputy commissioner (DC), distillery, Punjab, DS Garcha along with other officials visited the distillery on Thursday.

“The probe is trying to ascertain how the liquor came out of the distillery,” Garcha said adding, “The accused have told that the liquor was received in small containers from a security guard. Another employee would steal bottles, labels and lids and one of the accused had bottled the liquor. The matter is being investigated by police and we are checking the distillery also.”

An excise official, privy to the probe but didn’t wish to be named citing the sensitivity of the matter, said, “In general, the stickers of government holograms are pasted on the liquor bottles once they are filled in the distillery. After this, permits are granted for the transportation of the liquor bottles. The recovered liquor was without any hologram and no excise duty was paid. It is not clear yet that how much liquor had already been smuggled by the accused from the distillery. It will only be ascertained after a thorough investigation. We will also check how much loss was caused to the state’s exchequer with the smuggling.”