₹1.82-crore liquor consignment seized ahead of festive season, one arrested

Thane excise officials seized ₹1.82 crore worth of illegal liquor and arrested a driver, amid rising spurious liquor activities ahead of holidays.

THANE: The Thane unit of the State Excise department on Monday seized a large consignment of illegally transported liquor worth ₹1.82 crore and arrested one person in connection with the case. With Christmas and New Year celebrations approaching, gangs involved in the supply of spurious liquor packaged in bottles of popular brands have once again become active, prompting heightened enforcement by the state excise department.

₹1.82-crore liquor consignment seized ahead of festive season, one arrested

Acting on specific intelligence received from an informer, officials of Flying Squad No. 1 intercepted a suspicious tempo on the Navi Mumbai–Thane Road near Mahape at around 9.40am. The vehicle, registered in Karnataka, matched the description provided to the excise team and was stopped for inspection.

During a thorough search, officials found 1,550 boxes of foreign-made liquor manufactured in Goa that were being illegally transported into Maharashtra. The consignment was seized under the provisions of the Maharashtra Prohibition Act. The tempo used for transportation was also confiscated. The total value of the seized liquor and the vehicle has been estimated at ₹1,82,26,500.

The driver, identified as Bhagirathram Hiraram Godara, was arrested on the spot. An FIR has been registered against him under the relevant sections of the Maharashtra Prohibition Act, and he has been taken into custody for further investigation.

Excise inspector S R Misal said that several cases of duplicate liquor seizures have been reported in recent weeks. “In this case, locally manufactured liquor from Goa was filled in bottles labelled ‘Royal Blue’. The truck driver has been arrested and produced before a Thane court, and we have obtained his custody. Further investigation is underway to trace the supplier as well as the intended recipients of the consignment,” Misal said.