Greater Noida: The Excise Department and Greater Noida police in a joint operation confiscated Haryana-mark liquor worth ₹35 lakh from a truck while being transported to Manipur via Uttar Pradesh, officials said on Sunday.
Police have registered a case under sections of the Excise Act at the Knowledge Park police station.
The Excise Department said that the recovery followed a tip-off about a truck laden with illegal Haryana-mark liquor being en route to Manipur from Haryana. The excise team, with the help of local police, stopped the truck for checking near Sharda roundabout in Greater Noida.
“We seized 237 boxes of 750 ml, 375 ml, and 180 ml of Haryana-mark liquor from a truck in Greater Noida on Saturday night,” said Subodh Shrivastava, district excise officer (DEO), Gautam Budh Nagar, told HT, adding, “The truck driver, a resident of Barmer in Rajasthan, was also arrested.”
During the investigation, it came to light that the Haryana-mark liquor was being transported to Manipur via the Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and West Bengal route, said the officer, adding that a fake auto parts bill was also recovered from the possession of the suspect.
“The estimated cost of the liquor is around ₹35 lakh, and the bill was made to mislead transport and goods and services tax officials,” said Pravin Rajan Singh, deputy commissioner of police, Greater Noida.
An official, part of the investigation and requesting anonymity, said, “In most cases, the liquor was transported to Bihar and other surrounding districts to be sold at a higher price. The smugglers used multiple drivers who were unaware of the exact locations where the liquor was to be delivered. In this case, the driver revealed that he was on his way to Manipur.”
A case under Section 318(4) (cheating) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Uttar Pradesh Excise Act was registered at Knowledge Park police station, and further investigation is underway.