The state excise department has seized 991 Goa-made illegal bottles of alcohol worth Rs 1 crore that was being driven into Maharashtra for sale in the state.
The state excise department has seized 991 Goa-made illegal bottles of alcohol worth Rs 1 crore that was being driven into Maharashtra for sale in the state. The alcohol was being smuggled into Maharashtra in a truck.
Excise officials were tipped off about the consignment of the bottles, following which they intercepted the truck carrying alcohol on March 29 around 2 am at Ghodbunder area of Thane region. They also arrested two persons, both drivers of the truck, in this connection. A senior official from excise confirming this said, “to misguide us the liquor was packed in the country-made liquor bottles of Maharashtra. The bottles were kept in wooden boxes.”
The liquor dealers intended to sell the alcohol in various part of Maharashtra as well as Karnataka.
The two accused persons have been identified as Sudhir Surendra, (38) and Methuew Mohannan (35), both residents of Kerala. They were booked under various relevant sections of the IPC. They were later produced in court and court remanded them in police custody till April 2.
The investigation of the case was conducted under Mukund Bilolikar and Subhash Jadhav, who recovered 215 boxes of Windser whiskey worth Rs 11 lakh, 178 boxes of King whiskey worth Rs 13 lakh, 598 boxes of an another brand. Along with these, the truck (MH 43 U 677) carrying the alcohol was also seized. The same investigation team had, earlier this month, intercepted another Goa-made illegal liquor which was coming to Maharashtra by the railway route. In that seizure, the officials had arrested as many as seven accused.
