Prayagraj: Drive against spurious liquor smuggling intensified, vigil enhanced on highways

An intense checking drive has been launched in Prayagraj against smuggling of spurious liquor on highways and alternate routes that may be used by liquor smugglers during the festive season.

PRAYAGRAJ: Apart from crackdown on hooch and arresting bootleggers operating in remote areas and wetlands of rivers in rural areas of Prayagraj, the district police have launched an intense vehicle checking drive against smuggling of spurious liquor on highways and alternate routes that may be used by the liquor smugglers during the festival season.

In many cases, the spurious liquor was being sold in bottles of branded liquor which poses health and life risk to consumers, say police. (PTI)

Superintendent of police (SP), Crime, Ashutosh Mishra said that cops of all police stations, especially, in rural areas had been asked to remain alert during the festive season as liquor smugglers might try to take advantage of this period. “Cops are keeping strict vigil on highways and launching routine checking drives, besides patrolling on alternate routes, which may be used by smugglers to enter the district, have been increased, he said.

Police had recently arrested two persons who were involved in smuggling and supply of spurious country liquor to country liquor shops in trans-Ganga area.

On Tuesday, a team of Handia police laid a trap near Bhiti crossing and intercepted an SUV after a chase. At least 15 cartons, containing 656 bottles of illegal country liquor along with 90 corks, 80 QR codes, were recovered from the vehicle. Three persons in the SUV were arrested and they were identified as Santosh Yadav of Jaunpur, Dilip Jaiswal of Handia area and Vijay Kumar of Mirzapur district.

Questioning from them revealed that they were involved in smuggling of illegal liquor to country liquor shops in the region. The illegal liquor was sold in bottles of branded liquor which poses health and life risk to consumers.

On September 4, Special Task Force had also arrested two persons with DCM carrying illicit English liquor smuggled from another state. The smugglers informed that they used to supply the smuggled liquor in the region as it was less costly than brands sold here.