Excise official suspended after illegal liquor cache seizure in Gurugram

Officials said the vend was found selling both imported liquor and Indian-manufactured foreign liquor at prices far below the prescribed minimum retail price.

A day after the excise department seized a large consignment of illegal foreign liquor from an L-2/L-14A vend near Signature Tower, the Haryana government on Thursday suspended an excise inspector posted in the area for alleged negligence and failure to curb smuggling. Officials said the liquor shop has been sealed, and a detailed probe has been initiated to identify the wider network involved.

Officials said the liquor shop has been sealed, and a detailed probe has been initiated to identify the wider network involved. (Parveen Kumar/HT PHOTO)

According to the enforcement wing, the team recovered 3,921 cartons and 176 loose bottles of imported liquor during the raid. The bottles lacked mandatory excise holograms and “track & trace strips”—an indicator that they were brought into the city without paying customs and state duties. Officials said the seized stock is worth several crores in the black market.

Excise inspector Pawan Kumar, posted under the deputy excise and taxation commissioner (east), Gurugram, was immediately suspended, and assigned to Panchkula. Further action will depend on findings during the inquiry, officials said.

Officials familiar with the investigation said the vend was found selling both imported liquor and Indian-manufactured foreign liquor (IMFL) at prices far below the prescribed minimum retail price (MRP). The department, however, has not publicly addressed how such large quantities of underpriced liquor were being sold openly at multiple shops across the district.

Amit Bhatia, DETC (East), said teams have conducted surprise inspections at several other vends but did not find violations there. “There is a lot to be done. Our teams have been tracking movement and activities for weeks, and action was taken as soon as credible information emerged,” he said.