Excise department sees 10 per cent rise in illicit liquor cases

Mumbai: The state excise department has seen a 10 per cent rise in illicit liquor-related crimes this year just before the beginning of the local body polls.

The department caught liquor worth Rs 4.69 crore while last year the department had seized liquor worth Rs 3.62 crore. The state excise commissioner will submit a report to the election commissioner in this regards.

The excise department has registered 2,795 cases of illicit liquor between November 1 and 25. Altogether, 1,608 have been arrested and the liquor was for Rs 4.69 crore. Last year during the same period, the department had registered 2,519 crimes and seized liquor worth Rs 3.62 crore, an official from the excise department said. The total cases registered have gone up by 10.96 per cent while the cost of the seized liquor has been up by 29.31 per cent, the official added.

“We are going to submit the report to the election commissioner. I appreciate that some of my officials are doing good work. They are even raiding Naxal-infested areas of Gadchiroli despite being ill equipped,” V. Radha, commissioner of excise department said.

One of the officials seized 93 boxes of Goa Whisky (180 ml) that were Made in Chhattisgarh and worth Rs 4.46 lakh in a Mahindra Bolero vehicle, she added.

The excise department has been cracking down on illicit liquor for the past few months. Recently, it decided to amend the Maharashtra Prohibition Act to curb the use of illicit liquor.

The excise dept recently amended the Maharashtra Prohibition Act to curb the use of illicit liquor. The fine for a first time offender is now Rs 50,000.