E-Paper
Smuggled liquor reaches dry Bihar via UP
These gangs procure liquor illegally from distilleries in other states and store it at different places in UP before sending it to Bihar
LUCKNOW Smugglers have evolved a system to sneak in illicit liquor sourced from Haryana and Punjab into the dry state – Bihar via Uttar Pradesh. A bottle of smuggled liquor costing just ₹350 in Haryana is sold for anything between ₹2,500-3,000 while a bottle of country-made liquor costing ₹80 in UP is sold for ₹500-700 in Bihar, according to police and excise officials.
These gangs procure liquor illegally from distilleries in other states and store it at different places in UP before sending it to Bihar. In doing so, they earn huge profits that fuels the network, they said.
As per an estimate, these profits run into billions, luring new smugglers into the crime every day, said a senior UP Special Task Force (STF) official.
“The smuggled liquor is transported mainly by road in Uttar Pradesh and stored at different warehouses located in the cities along major national highways before being transported into Bihar,” said DK Singh, DySP, STF.
He said the STF busted one such warehouse in Kanpur earlier this year. The STF, along with the police, often intercepts these consignments and recovers huge cache of liquor but a lot more remains to be done.
PRODUCT & SOURCE
Indian-made foreign liquor (IMFL) is the most sought-after product for smuggling because of its high demand, easy availability and huge profit margins. Smugglers usually prefer liquor from Haryana, Punjab and Himachal Pradesh for its cheaper price.
“The gangs have ties with corrupt officials in the managements at distilleries in districts of Haryana like Panipat, Sonipat and Palwal. This liquor is either smuggled directly into UP or is mixed with country-made liquor by gangs for better profits,” said S Anand, SP (Shahjahanpur) who has busted over a dozen liquor smuggling rackets passing through his district this year.
Smaller vehicles are used to smuggle liquor in batches into UP. “After entering Uttar Pradesh, they load the liquor on to bigger vehicles to transport it to warehouses in cities like Kanpur, Lucknow, Varanasi and Prayagraj,” said the officer.
THE TRANSIT
The gangs hire transporters or even use their own vehicles to transport the liquor across UP.
“For transporting large quantities, the gang members try to conceal the liquor under other items in trucks. The bigger trucks travel with permit, claiming to be transporting fruits or other perishable items to pass through the check posts,” informed S Anand.
He said the duration of transit in UP before being sold in Bihar can range from a few days to months, depending on the conditions and availability of resources.
“The gangs try to keep the transit within the state and avoid crossing the border in one journey. After being brought to UP, the liquor is first taken to a large warehouse, then to a smaller warehouse in districts bordering Bihar before crossing into that state,” informed the officer.
ENTERING BIHAR
The gangs take advantage of the porous UP-Bihar border to smuggle liquor into the dry state. Then they employ small-time smugglers to transport liquor into the state in small batches.
Neeraj Kumar, SP, Buxar (Bihar) said: “The liquor is smuggled into Bihar by smugglers on foot, motorcycles, carts, tempos, boats and pick-up vans. In most cases large quantities are avoided. The liquor is sold locally within a few hours.”
In districts like Buxar, Saran, Siwan and Gopalganj, 150 FIRs under prohibition act are lodged every month on an average and a majority of these pertain to smuggling of liquor.
“In most cases, we found that local smugglers in Bihar travel to nearby districts in UP and bring back smuggled liquor with the help of others. We have also arrested natives of UP and Rajasthan for smuggling liquor. An anti liquor task force (ALTF) has been formed to act against these smugglers,” said Amrit Raj, IG of Bihar (prohibition).
The Bihar police are also coordinating with UP and Haryana police to nab the masterminds of the gang. “Deputy SP level talks are held regularly between UP and Bihar police in bordering districts. Acting against liquor smugglers and sharing intelligence on them is a major part of these meetings. We are also closing in on people who operate the nexus while sitting in another state or abroad,” said the IG.
