Excise officials bust illicit liquor transporting racket

Belagavi: Ahead of five state assembly elections, the covert illegal transportation of liquor has been thriving. Acting on intelligence, Belgavi Excise officials have intercepted a significant quantity of illicitly transported alcohol, employing advanced tactics to thwart the operation.

Last month, Excise officials dramatically uncovered a concealed stash of liquor inside a lorry, ingeniously hidden amidst plywood. This time, their ingenuity was put to the test once again. They intercepted a lorry masquerading as a fake transformer, concealed with hidden liquor.

Acting on a tip-off, the enforcement officers sprang into action near the Hirebagewadi toll naka on Tuesday. They detained a lorry bearing the registration number MH 43 Y 2976 and began questioning the driver, leading to the discovery of liquor worth rs 10 lakhs hidden amongst two electric transformers. The Excise officials seized liquor from five different companies packed in cartons, estimated to be worth Rs 250. They apprehended the lorry's driver, Sriram Sudhakar Parade (31), a resident of Mumbai, Maharashtra. they also seized a lorry valued at Rs 20 lakhs.

The lorry was equipped with advanced technology controlled by GPS equipment. The accused had attempted to deactivate the GPS during the enforcement officers' intervention. It is believed that another team somewhere was orchestrating the lorry's movements. To outwit the culprits, the Excise team reactivated the GPS and seized the vehicle.

The liquor was being transported from Goa as Telangana was also holding elections in five states. The accused believed that stashing the liquor amidst transformers would avert suspicion. However, their elaborate plan was foiled by the astute vigilance of the excise officials.

Additional Excise Commissioner Dr. Y. Manjunath, under the guidance of Excise Joint Commissioner Feroz Khan Killedar, Excise Deputy Commissioner Vanajakshi M, and a team led by Excise Superintendent Vijay Kumar Hiremath executed the operation. Dr. Y. Manjunath said that the accused were savvy enough to manipulate the vehicle's GPS. When he realized the lorry was seized, they deactivated it through GPS. Yet, we managed to apprehend the vehicle by disabling the GPS. No matter how much the accused attempted to outwit us, our intelligence network prevailed. A continual investigation is underway, as various networks are implicated in these unlawful activities. We are forming a dedicated team to dismantle these operations."

Dr. Y. Manjunath said In the previous case, when we ventured to Goa for investigation, the distilleries asserted that they had legally sold the alcohol. We have pursued this investigation as well, as it is a concern for us."