Tanker smuggling 40K litres of methyl alcohol caught in Lko

STF says two members of an interstate smuggling gang were arrested and the consignment, estimated to be worth around ₹15 lakh

A tanker loaded with 40,000 litres of toxic methyl alcohol travelled undetected from Karnataka to Lucknow before it was intercepted by Special Task Force (STF) and UP excise department near Sanjeevani Hospital Road here late Friday night, as per a press note shared by STF on Saturday.

The transportation of methyl alcohol is banned in several states (For representation)

The transportation of methyl alcohol is banned in several states. The agency said two members of an interstate smuggling gang were arrested and the consignment, estimated to be worth around ₹15 lakh, was seized.

The agency added the arrest of Agrej Singh, from Gurdaspur in Punjab, and Gaurav Gupta, who hails from Lucknow, has exposed serious gaps in interstate coordination and enforcement along chemical transport routes. The third accused, Anand Singh from Pratapgarh, remains absconding and police teams were trying to trace his whereabouts.

Lucknow district excise officer (DEO) Karunendra Singh said that the crackdown was as part of a drive and such drives would continue to put a curb on the illegal smuggling of liquor in the state capital.

According to STF officials, the accused had been operating a well-organised racket by procuring methyl alcohol from Karnataka and transporting it under the guise of mixed solvent. The gang used forged GST documents and shipment papers to mislead authorities at multiple checkpoints. Despite transporting a hazardous chemical, the tanker was never flagged or inspected during its long journey to Lucknow.

The official explained that the two men who were arrested produced documents claiming that the tanker was carrying an industrial solvent. However, strong alcoholic odor raised suspicion. The excise inspector collected samples on the spot, which were later tested in the regional excise lab and confirmed to contain methyl alcohol.

During their interrogation later, the accused confessed that they regularly smuggled methyl alcohol under fake documentation and sold it in and around Lucknow, labelling it as ‘thinner’. Some clients, they admitted, also used it to adulterate petrol, a practice that poses serious safety hazards.

STF officials said the duo was booked under Sections 318 and 319(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), along with Sections 2, 6, and 17G of the Poison Act.