283 people arrested, 18,000 litres of illicit liquor seized in Uttar Pradesh

The Uttar Pradesh excise department has arrested 283 people and seized over 18,000 litres of illicit liquor following recent deaths due to consumption of spurious alcohol, an official said on Monday.

A total of 888 cases were registered in this regard, he said.

On November 12, three people died and two others got ill after consuming spurious liquor in Banthara area of Lucknow. Five people died and several others were hospitalised in Amliya village of Allahabad on November 20.

According to officials, 18,286 litres of illicit liquor have been seized and 1,52,575 kg of ‘lahan’ (raw material used in preparing illicit liquor)) destroyed as part of the special drive by the government against the ‘manufacture, sale and smuggling’ of illicit liquor.

“In the drive conducted from November 18 to November 22, 283 people were arrested, 888 cases were registered and 18,286.40 litres of illegal liquor was seized. A total of 1,52,575 kg of ‘lahan’ has been destroyed,” Additional Chief Secretary, Excise, Sanjay R Bhoosreddy said.

Giving more details of the action, the officer said during the inspection of a country liquor shop Sikrari in Etah district, 25 litres of illicit spirit, 83 fake pouches and one roll of fake QR codes and caramel were recovered; while in Agra district, 15 illicit liquor pouches were recovered from Kalal Khedia country liquor shop.

FIRs have been registered against the licensees in both the cases, he said.

In Pratapgarh, 88 litres of illegal country liquor and 1,310 litres of illegal foreign liquor of Haryana were recovered and two people were arrested, he said.

Bhoosreddy said instructions have been given to all district excise officers to inspect and collect samples from liquor shops during the ongoing special drive and get them tested in the regional laboratories.

In compliance of the above order, 14,892 samples have been collected from 12,957 shops till now, he said.

All the field level officers have been instructed to conduct a thorough inspection of the excise shops and to keep special vigil of the shops of licensees with suspicious conduct, he said.

It has also been instructed that strict action should be taken against those involved in illegal activities under relevant sections of IPC, Goonda Act, Gangster Act and the Excise Act, in all such cases, the officer added.