Liquor smugglers held with banned booze

The police arrested four persons on Monday for allegedly smuggling illicit liquor in luxury cars that were to be supplied to bootleggers during Holi and Good Friday.

The police arrested four persons on Monday for allegedly smuggling illicit liquor in luxury cars that were to be supplied to bootleggers during Holi and Good Friday.

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The police recovered 54 cartons containing 2,600 quarter bottles of spurious liquor. Two luxury sedans — a Skoda and a Tata Manza — that were being used for transporting illicit liquor in the Capital -- were also seized. The arrested persons have been identified as Surender Kumar, Ravi Singh, Ajay and Dheeraj, all from Uttar Pradesh.

Ajay Chaudhry, additional CP (southeast), said the arrests came after investigation into complaints regarding the involvement of an organised gang in the supply of illicit liquor in Delhi and NCR.

“Their interrogation revealed that they specially supplied brands prohibited in Delhi. They buy illicit liquor at cheaper rates from neighbouring states and sell them at exorbitant prices when registered liquor shops are closed on dry days during the festival season,” said Chaudhry. He said the gang used luxury cars to avoid police attention.

In a similar operation, the Delhi police crime branch arrested two persons and recovered around 90 cartons of liquor of two different brands, the sale of which are banned in Delhi. The arrested persons have been identified as Sanjay and Satish. Police said the liquor was being smuggled into the city for illegal sale on Holi.