Bihar Police unearths liquor mafia operating in graveyard

The issue came to light after a group of people, who went to the graveyard for a funeral, informed police about an open grave and some liquor pouches lying around it

The Bihar police on Monday unearthed a liquor mafia, which operates in a graveyard on the outskirts of Sasaram town, after a group of people, who went there for a funeral, informed officials about an open grave and some liquor pouches lying around it.

The incident was reported from a graveyard near the famous tomb of Alawal Khan falling under Darigaon police station limits of Bihar’s Rohtas district. (Representative Image)

Police said that they reached the graveyard and recovered 25 litres of country-made liquor hidden in plastic bags. There were also at least 50 empty bags lying around the grave indicating that large-scale storage, sale and consumption of liquor had been taking place there, they added.

Earlier, Bihar, where alcohol has been banned by law since 2016, had reported recovery of liquor from coffin, septic tank and milk-tanker, as illegal traders resorted to various ways to do their business.

The incident on Monday was reported from a graveyard near the famous tomb of Alawal Khan falling under Darigaon police station limits of Rohtas district.

Darigaon station house officer (SHO) Santosh Kumar said that a case under Section 30A of the Excise Act has been registered against unknown liquor traders and police are trying to identify them.

Earlier on May 31, 1,182 liters of Indian made foreign liquor (IMFL) was seized from a milk tanker of a reputed company at Purnia.

On March 27, excise officials seized 240 bottles of costly IMFL concealed in a large coffin carried in an ambulance in Gaya. It was being transported to Bihar from Jharkhand when the excise officials raided it.

Next day, a huge quantity of IMFL was recovered from a septic tank, specially designed to conceal liquor in Saharsa district.

Bihar has been a dry state since 2016 after chief minister Nitish Kumar led government imposed a ban on the sale, transportation and consumption of liquor.