Booze smuggling goes few pegs up

MOHALI: A truck filled with 980 cartons of Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) and country-made liquor meant only for sale in Chandigarh was seized from Phase XI here on Friday in another case of smuggling.

Shalin Walia, assistant commissioner of state tax, mobile wing, Chandigarh, said 60 cases of “Royal Arms”, “Royal Stag”, and “Imperial Blue” whisky, all IMFL, and 920 cases of “999” whisky, “65 Degree” whisky bottled at Alcobrew Bottlers, Industrial Area, Chandigarh and “Himmat Santra” country-made liquor with brand name “65 Degree” bottled at Super Distillers, Industrial Area, Chandigarh, were found in the truck bearing registration number PB-12-9536.


Walia said, “It seems that the UT-based bottling plants are allowing liquor bottles without hologram to be smuggled into Punjab. We have seized over 3,500 cartons of illicit liquor being smuggled into Punjab in the past five to six months. The maximum cartons are of ‘Rajdhani’ whisky, ‘Jublee Special’ and ‘Himmat Santra’ being bottled by a single bottling plant in UT. Chandigarh-based bottling plants have been selling liquor without holograms with impunity which causes huge losses to state exchequer for Punjab as well as Chandigarh. This also leads to decline in lifting of liquor quota for vend owners.” Liquor smugglers have been purchasing liquor at cheaper rates from Chandigarh and smuggling it across Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and other states to make a quick buck, he said.

To give a slip to the excise officials, miscreants have been resorting to innovative ways to smuggle liquor from Chandigarh to Punjab. Recently, IMFL was seized from a car decorated with flowers and ribbons to resemble a vehicle meant to ferry a bride in Zirakpur in December last year.