Gurugram excise department busts ₹10-crore foreign liquor racket; 42,000 bottles seized

Officials estimated the value of the haul at around ₹10 crore in the black market – the state’s largest recovery of illegal foreign liquor ever.

The Gurugram excise department and city police on Tuesday busted what officials described as one of Haryana’s biggest liquor smuggling rackets, seizing nearly 42,000 bottles of premium imported alcohol from a licensed vend that was allegedly using its legal permit as a façade to sell smuggled, duty-evaded stock. Officials estimated the value of the haul at around ₹10 crore in the black market – the state’s largest recovery of illegal foreign liquor ever.

Officials said samples from the seized bottles have been sent to a laboratory to confirm whether the consignments were illicit stock.

The liquor, officials said, had been brought into India without payment of customs or excise duties. Crucially, none of the bottles carried the mandatory Haryana excise hologram or the Track-and-Trace strip that authenticates and monitors the movement of liquor within the state. The absence of these features immediately confirmed the illegal origins of the stock, officials said.

The raid, carried out at a vend operating under the name “The Theka,” revealed cartons stacked in two concealed backrooms – storage spaces deliberately designed to hide the contraband within a legitimate establishment.

Officials said samples from the seized bottles have been sent to a laboratory to confirm whether the consignments were illicit stock.

Deputy excise and taxation commissioner Amit Bhatia said a routine inspection triggered the breakthrough in the case when his team noticed bottles on display without holograms.

A deeper search revealed 3,921 cartons, each containing six to 12 bottles, along with 176 loose bottles of high-end international brands, Bhatia said.

An FIR was registered immediately, and the entire stock was seized.

The FIR, lodged at Sector 40 police station, states that the action followed a tip-off received by excise inspector Pawan Kumar around 2.50pm. A joint team led by AETO Kunal Yadav and inspectors Balwan Singh and Anil Sheoran arrived at the premises and began scanning the shelves before discovering the massive illegal cache.

Officials said the seized liquor comprised around 55 top-shelf global brands, including Johnnie Walker Blue Label, Royal Salute, Glenfiddich, Chivas Regal and The Macallan – with individual bottles priced between ₹5,000 and ₹1.5 lakh. Investigators privy to the case details said they believe the consignments were routed through airports and moved into Gurugram by a network specialising in high-value foreign liquor distribution.

The vend itself was licensed under L-2/L-14A norms and issued to a man identified as Surinder Singh, who this year deposited ₹44 crore in licence fees. Investigators suspect the licence was used to mask the large-scale sale of smuggled liquor. Employees questioned during the raid told officials that the outlet recorded daily sales of ₹50–60 lakh, catering largely to affluent customers seeking exclusive imported labels.

Surinder Singh reportedly absconded soon after learning of the raid. The shop in-charge, identified as Ajay from Fatehabad, was detained for questioning and later handed over to police.

Investigators said the smuggling operation may have caused crores in revenue loss to the state and is suspected to be linked to a wider interstate network spanning Delhi, Haryana and Rajasthan. Teams are now examining supply routes, import records and warehouse links to track the origin of the liquor and identify those behind its transport and distribution.

Officials familiar with the inquiry said smuggling groups increasingly exploit duty-free loopholes and online delivery channels to funnel expensive imported liquor into high-demand urban markets such as Gurugram.

Calling the seizure unprecedented, Bhatia said more raids are likely in the coming days. The excise department has also recommended sealing the vend, cancelling its licence and initiating proceedings to forfeit the ₹44 crore licence fee.

The case has been registered under Section 61 of the Punjab Excise Act, 1914 (as amended by Haryana) and Section 318(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) 2023. Investigators said further arrests are expected as they verify financial transactions and interstate links tied to the illegal trade.