Two held in Faridabad for selling ordinary liquor in bottles of premium brands
Police said the suspects used bottles of brands such as Royal Salute, Blue Label, Macallan and Amrut Greedy Angels, among others, that were filled with liquor that cost less than ₹500
Gurugram: Faridabad police arrested two suspects on Saturday for allegedly selling ordinary liquor in bottles of premium brands. Police said the suspects used to sell the rebottled liquor to at least 18 shops across the city.
Police said the suspects used bottles of brands such as Royal Salute, Blue Label, Macallan and Amrut Greedy Angels, among others, that were filled with liquor that cost less than ₹500.
The suspects were identified as Charan Singh, a resident of NIT Faridabad and Nikhil Singh from Madhu Vihar in Delhi.
Mukesh Malhotra, deputy commissioner of police (crime), said they have recovered at least 40 cartons of cheap liquor packed in bottles of premium brands from liquor shops and the excise department has been informed about the matter. “We had received a tip-off based on which we formed teams and raided a few liquor shops. We found fake liquor from three outlets,” he said.
“Charan Singh is a repeat offender and 18 cases have been registered against him in Faridabad under the Excise Act. He has confessed to the crime and revealed that he used to rebottle ordinary liquor in bottles of premium brands to make money,” DCP Malhotra added.
A case under the Excise Act and Section 420 (fraud) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) was registered against the two suspects at Kotwali police station in Faridabad, police said.
According to investigators, the suspects had set up a liquor rebottling unit in the basement of their house where cheap liquor was being smuggled and filled in empty bottles of high-end brands such as Chivas Regal 12, Chivas Regal 18, Johnnie Walker Black Label, Johnnie Walker Gold Label, Glenlivet and Glenfiddich, among others.
DCP Malhotra said the entire racket was being run from Charan Singh’s house in Faridabad. They used to buy empty bottles of premium brands from ragpickers and later got the cases packaged from Delhi.
“Charan Singh used to purchase the cheap liquor from another suspect who has been identified but is still at large. The racket has caused revenue loss to the exchequer and also put lives of consumers at risk,” DCP Malhotra added.
