Fake QR codes, counterfeit bottle caps, and forged brand labels were allegedly used by an interstate liquor racket to pass off spurious liquor as genuine and smuggled to Bihar, officials said on Thursday. The racket was uncovered during a joint operation by the excise department and Lucknow Police.
The raid led to the seizure of 1,370 bottles of suspected fake foreign liquor and the arrest of one accused, while investigators launched a wider probe to dismantle the network behind the operation.
Acting on a tip-off, the joint team raided a house in Sector-10 of Vrindavan Yojana under the PGI police station limits.
Officials arrested Anil Verma, a resident of Azad Nagar in Krishna Nagar, from the premises. During questioning, the accused allegedly revealed that the liquor was supplied through Vimal Yadav of Azamgarh, prompting officials to widen the investigation to identify other members of the syndicate.
Lucknow district excise officer Karunendra Singh revealed that according to the preliminary investigation, it appears that even the liquor found inside the bottles was likely manufactured in a district near the state capital. He added that a team led by excise inspector Vivek Singh, along with other excise officials, carried out a surprise joint operation in coordination with the police department.
According to the excise department, the preliminary examination found that the QR codes, brand labels and bottle caps on the bottles were counterfeit. Officials scanned the QR codes using the department’s mobile verification application, but the codes failed to generate any product data, confirming that they were forged and strengthening suspicion that the liquor had been illegally manufactured.
{{/usCountry}}According to the excise department, the preliminary examination found that the QR codes, brand labels and bottle caps on the bottles were counterfeit. Officials scanned the QR codes using the department’s mobile verification application, but the codes failed to generate any product data, confirming that they were forged and strengthening suspicion that the liquor had been illegally manufactured.
{{/usCountry}}During interrogation, the accused allegedly admitted that the counterfeit QR codes, labels and caps were used to package the liquor as genuine before transporting consignments to Bihar, where it was sold illegally at higher prices for greater profit.
Police registered an FIR at PGI police station under Sections 318(4), 338, 336(3), 340(2), 350 and 61(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, along with Section 60 of the Excise Act.