The state excise department raided a warehouse on Solapur Street in Mumbai’s Dana Bunder locality on Wednesday, seized 580 bottles of foreign liquor worth around Rs 80 lakhs and arrested three individuals in the matter, said an official from the State Excise Department.
As per the information received, a truck was also seized during the raid.
State Excise Department, Konkan Division, Deputy Commissioner Prasad Surve said, “To prevent the transportation and sale of illegal liquor on Christmas and New Year, we have formed and deployed multiple squads. One of the squads deployed in Dana Bunder received information of an illegal liquor stock (for sale in Haryana) arriving from Delhi, and further inquiry led to a raid and we recovered 580 bottles of 17 different brands.”
“Trucks used in transportation have also been seized. A case has been registered and three people have been arrested,” he added.
A case has been registered into the matter and further investigation is underway, said an official.
Christmas and the New Year are among the festivals and occasions that are celebrated with great fervour in India, especially in the urban parts of the country. The celebrations and parties during these occasions often involve heavy usage of alcohol, which causes a surge in cases of alcohol smuggling.