Bihar: Excise officials seize 1,000 cartons of India Made Foreign Liquor; 6 arrested

At least 1,000 cartons of India Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) were seized by the Excise department officials today and six persons were arrested from a container truck in Fatuha Industrial Area of Patna district.

Acting on a tip-off, the excise department officials raided a godown in Fatuha Industrial Area where they seized a container truck carrying more than 1,000 cartons of foreign liquor and arrested six persons, Assistant Excise Commissioner Krishna Kumar said.

Kumar said, "We have so far off-loaded 1,000 cartons worth Rs 1.5 crore from the container. The cartons are still being off-loaded."

The cartons were being off-loaded in a godown of one Anil Kumar Gupta, a resident of Patna district, in Fatuhar industrial area, he said, adding that the truck bearing a Haryana registration number has also been seized.

The cartons - containing foreign liquor made in Haryana - were supposed to be sold in different parts of the state including in the vicinity of the state capital, excise department officials said adding that this is one of the biggest seizures since the new Bihar Prohibition and Excise Act 2016 was enforced on 2 October.

The Bihar government had on Gandhi Jayanti notified the Bihar Prohibition and Excise Act 2016 banning manufacture, trade, storage, transportation,possession, sale and consumption of liquor and foreign liquor through a stringent provisions incorporated under the law.

As per the new liquor law, those found indulging in unlawful import, export, transport, manufacture, possession, sale, intoxicant or liquor could attract a minimum 10 years of jail term which may extend to imprisonment for life apart from a minimum fine of Rs 1 lakh which may extend to Rs 10 lakh.

--PTI