Ahead of festive season, police intensify checks on liquor smuggling

With a steep rise in liquor smuggling ahead of the festive season, the city police have intensified checking drives in districts bordering Haryana.

With a steep rise in liquor smuggling ahead of the festive season, the city police have intensified checking drives in districts bordering Haryana.

According to the police, over 50 cartons of illicit liquor are being recovered every week. (Burhaan Kinu/HT Photo)

According to the police, over 50 cartons of illicit liquor are being recovered every week. India-made foreign liquor (IMFL) from Haryana is being smuggled to the city in larger quantities in the past couple of weeks as the demand goes up during the festive season and liquor is sold cheaper in Haryana as compared to Uttar Pradesh.

“On Monday, our team arrested a person who was smuggling 16 cartons of Haryana-made liquor in a sedan. He was using a fake Press sticker and also carrying fake identification cards. He escaped police checking many times by showing the cards,” said Abhishek Yadav, superintendent of police (rural), Gautam Budh Nagar.

Police said as liquor is cheaper in Haryana, smugglers buy liquor in bulk from there and sell it in the city, causing heavy loss to the state exchequer.

“A surge in smuggling attempts has been seen ahead of the festive season. Our teams have intensified checking at bordering areas,” said Yadav.

The police are jointly operating with the excise department in the checking drives. On Tuesday, Rabupura police arrested two persons and recovered two cartons of illicit liquor while the Bisrakh police arrested two persons and recovered eight cartons of illicit liquor. On Wednesday, the Jewar police arrested two persons from near Khurja bypass and recovered two cartons of illicit liquor from their possession. On Thursday, the Phase 3 police arrested two persons and recovered four cartons of Haryana-made liquor from their possession.