Goa-made liquor worth ₹73 lakh seized while being smuggled in Karjat

Police said the case is part of a larger organised network involved in inter-state liquor smuggling, driven by tax differences between states, and further investigation is underway to trace the supply chain and the consignment’s intended destination

MUMBAI: Cracking down on an illegal liquor transportation network in Raigad, the police seized Goa-manufactured liquor and the tanker carrying the bottles collectively worth ₹1.01 crore on the Karjat–Murbad road and arrested a 42-year-old man from Rajasthan.

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According to the police, the accused, identified as Laduram Khiyaram Bishnoi, 42, a resident of Barmer, Rajasthan, was arrested on Saturday after police intercepted a tanker allegedly transporting a large consignment of liquor without a valid permit.

Acting on a tip-off, a joint team from Neral Police Station laid a trap at around 10:15 pm on Saturday. Police intercepted a tanker and, upon inspection, discovered a large stock of liquor concealed inside. The tanker, valued at ₹29 lakh, was seized along with the contraband. The seized stock included 5,160 bottles of Evergreen Reserve Whisky worth ₹41.28 lakh, 2,141 bottles of Mobi Vodka Orange worth ₹15.03 lakh, and 2,280 bottles of Mobi Vodka Green Apple worth ₹15.96 lakh. The total value of the liquor is estimated at ₹72.27 lakh.

Raigad superintendent of police Anchal Dalal said the seizure points to a suspected inter-state smuggling route. The consignment originated in Goa and was being transported through Maharashtra, possibly towards Gujarat or other dry or high-tax states, where such liquor fetches higher prices in the black market.

“This was a targeted intervention. Even last month, we caught some individuals. The modus operandi suggests that the liquor manufactured in Goa was being transported through Maharashtra using a tanker typically meant for industrial or fuel transport, a tactic often used to avoid suspicion at checkpoints,” Dalal said.

The Gujarat registration of the vehicle has raised strong suspicions of a coordinated inter-state syndicate. “The seizure is not an isolated case. It indicates the presence of an organised network moving liquor across states where taxation differences create opportunities for illegal trade,” another senior officer from Raigad Police said.

Police said the case is part of a larger organised network involved in inter-state liquor smuggling, driven by tax differences between states, and further investigation is underway to trace the supply chain and the consignment’s intended destination.