The Anti-Human Trafficking Unit (AHTU) of the Mira Bhayandar-Vasai Virar (MBVV) police apprehended two people who were caught ferrying Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) and Country Liquor (CL) apparently to local bars in their passenger auto-rickshaws in an illegal manner in Mira Road. Acting on a tip-off, a patrolling team led by Senior Police Inspector- Sampatrao Patil intercepted the auto-rickshaws in the Hatkesh area o at around 4:40 pm on Friday.
Both the vehicles which were found to be carrying boxes of IMFL and CL were apparently headed to supply the consignment to local beer bars. The value of the impounded autos and seized consignment is pegged at more than Rs. 2.31 lakh. Both the auto-drivers who have been identified as Dinesh Pal (42) and Kailash Shelke (26), were taken into custody after they failed to produce any license or permit to ferry the consignment.
However, action still eludes the actual supplier who is yet to be identified. Based on the batch numbers of the impounded IMFL, the police can easily identify the source of consignment and the establishment which are liable for suspension of licenses. Due to lower consumption of IMFL as compared to permit rooms, it has become a normal practice for some of the ladies orchestra bar owners to make their purchases from local wine shops instead of authorized traders, sources said. While the primary reason for this practice of unregulated trading is said to be aimed at causing revenue losses to the state exchequer, excise officers have claimed that there was no question of tax evasion as all applicable duties are levied at the source. Meanwhile, a case under section 65 (a) of the Prohibition Act has been registered in this context at the Mira Road police station. Further investigations were on.
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