Refilling bottles of premium foreign brands with low-quality alcohol, using fake QR codes along with counterfeit caps and luring customers with late night delivery helped a liquor racket thrive in the state capital, officials said.
At least four gang members were arrested during a raid earlier this week in the state capital, an excise official said.
“The gang poured liquor from lower brands to premium empty bottles of liquor,” the official added.
“The gang purchased empty bottles of expensive liquor in large quantities from scrap dealers and even beggars. These bottles were then refilled with cheaper liquor, resealed using counterfeit caps, and labelled with forged QR codes ordered through the dark web,” excise department officials confirmed.
“The racket even charged extra money for doorstep delivery, despite the fact that no official order allows home delivery of liquor after shop closure timings in Lucknow,” the officials added.The excise department has been receiving frequent complaints about this illegal trade through the IGRS system and on its helpline over the last few days.Following the surge in reports, senior officials directed all district and deputy excise officers to personally inspect composite liquor shops to check for fake bottles and adulterated consignments.“People should scan the QR code placed on the liquor bottles before purchasing them.
This would help in knowing about the MRP as well as the history of the bottle,” said Lucknow district excise officer Karunendra Singh.He said that if any person promotes the delivery of liquor during late hours, people should inform the department about it. An earlier raid at a residential complex near Kanpur Road unearthed a consignment of adulterated liquor and fake packaging material.The raid was led by excise inspector Krishna Kumar Singh and inspector Ram Shyam Tripathi with their teams.Officials recovered 14 full bottles (750 ml) and 11 half-bottles (375 ml) of adulterated foreign liquor of various brands.
{{/usCountry}}This would help in knowing about the MRP as well as the history of the bottle,” said Lucknow district excise officer Karunendra Singh.He said that if any person promotes the delivery of liquor during late hours, people should inform the department about it. An earlier raid at a residential complex near Kanpur Road unearthed a consignment of adulterated liquor and fake packaging material.The raid was led by excise inspector Krishna Kumar Singh and inspector Ram Shyam Tripathi with their teams.Officials recovered 14 full bottles (750 ml) and 11 half-bottles (375 ml) of adulterated foreign liquor of various brands.
{{/usCountry}}Along with this, 65 empty premium bottles (750 ml), eight empty half- bottles (375 ml), counterfeit caps, and fake QR codes were seized. The material confirmed the scale at which the racket was attempting to pass off spurious liquor as branded products.Four accused were arrested from the spot earlier.
They were identified as Prashant Jaiswal, Vikas Jaiswal, Vikas Jaiswal and Shashank Nigam. All were booked under relevant provisions of the Excise Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and sent to jail.
Singh said such rackets were exploiting loopholes in the system and taking advantage of consumer demand for premium brands.
“The use of fake QR codes and caps is a worrying trend. We are intensifying surprise checks at liquor shops and storage points to ensure that adulterated consignments do not reach the market,” the official added.