The Haryana excise and taxation department has launched surprise inspections of retail liquor vends across the city after excise officials recovered 3,921 cartons and 176 loose bottles of imported foreign liquor, valued at around ₹10 crore, from a licensed premises earlier this month.
The seized stock was allegedly stored and sold without mandatory excise holograms, track-and-trace strips or tax payment, raising concerns about systemic violations within the licensed retail network, officials said.
“For the first time, retail liquor vends are being inspected through surprise checks conducted by DETCs from other districts. Earlier, enforcement focus was largely on wholesalers. Now, retail outlets are also under the scanner. Stock is being physically verified, documentation cross-checked and overall operations examined to ensure no illegal activity is being carried out,” Amit Bhatia, deputy excise and taxation commissioner, said.
According to officials, excise officers from other districts are being deployed to prevent local familiarity, influence or prior information leaks. These teams are carrying out unannounced inspections across multiple urban pockets, including high-consumption zones such as Gurugram, Faridabad and parts of NCR-adjacent districts.
“Every bottle is being examined — its origin, hologram, track-and-trace code and stock records. Any discrepancy is treated as a serious offence. Bottles lacking mandatory excise markers are being seized on the spot,” Bhatia said.
Meanwhile, the state government has also constituted a special committee comprising senior excise officials and police representatives to oversee real-time surveillance, random inspections, data-driven stock analysis and coordinated action across districts.
“The idea is to break the comfort zone. Retail vends can no longer assume inspections. This is about restoring credibility to the excise system and protecting state revenue,” Bhatia added.
Officials said the seized liquor included premium imported brands, some retailing between ₹5,000 and ₹1.5 lakh per bottle, indicating high-value tax evasion. Investigations are underway to trace financial trails, supplier networks and possible complicity of licence holders.