LUCKNOW The Lucknow police unit on Sunday claimed to have busted an inter-state liquor smuggling racket under Bakshi Ka Talab police station limits. The development came after the arrest of a 42-year-old man and seizure of nearly 400 cartons of liquor bottles (around 11,688 bottles of full, half and quarter) worth several lakh from his possession. Police said the liquor was meant to be delivered to Bihar, a dry state. The liquor had arrived from Haryana.
Sharing a press note, the Lucknow police informed that the accused was identified as Rajesh Rathore, a resident of Mainpuri. He worked as carrier for the smuggling racket. The arrest was made near the newly-constructed Kisan Path, which is very rarely used by carrier vehicles as the road is still not operational.
The accused initially tried to mislead police by giving the impression that he is carrying medicines and even presented a bill. However, liquor bottles were found when police checked the truck thoroughly. A police official said that smugglers avoid using highways as cops often checks vehicles there. Instead, miscreants often use internal and semi-operational roads to reach their destinations without police checking. In this case, the accused was carrying liquor in a truck container through the similar semi-operational road to reach Bihar via Lucknow and Barabanki.
The cop also said that the accused later confessed during interrogation that he was going to deliver the consignment to a liquor smuggler in Bihar. He said the liquor smuggler has links with a Haryana distillery, which directly supplies the liquor to him, and he, in turn, sells it at higher rates in Bihar where liquor is banned. The consignment contained two different brands of liquor in different packaging.
{{/usCountry}}The cop also said that the accused later confessed during interrogation that he was going to deliver the consignment to a liquor smuggler in Bihar. He said the liquor smuggler has links with a Haryana distillery, which directly supplies the liquor to him, and he, in turn, sells it at higher rates in Bihar where liquor is banned. The consignment contained two different brands of liquor in different packaging.
{{/usCountry}}Police also found several registration number plates present in the truck when it impounded the vehicle. The truck had a Haryana state registration number plate when police intercepted it but the vehicle is originally registered from U.P’s Etah district. The cop added the accused has been booked under sections 419 (cheating by impersonation), 420 (fraud), 467 (forging documents), 468 (using forged documents for cheating) and 471 (using forged documents as genuine) of the IPC and also under relevant section of the Excise Act.