Tejas Navale

Pune: On Monday, June 17, the state excise department took decisive action against four individuals attempting to illegally transport liquor from Goa to Ahmednagar district. The operation, conducted within the Murti village limits on Morgaon Supe Road in Baramati, resulted in significant seizures and arrests.

Goa, renowned for its tourism and inexpensive liquor due to reduced taxes, attracts tourists who often smuggle alcohol illegally to other regions. Despite the legal restrictions, this smuggling persists. In a targeted effort, the Daund Division of the State Excise Department intercepted a suspicious Bolero pickup vehicle and a Hyundai Creta car near Hotel Sanika in Murti village, Baramati taluka.

Excise officials, upon stopping the vehicles, received unsatisfactory responses from the drivers regarding their cargo. This prompted a thorough inspection, revealing foreign liquor, licensed exclusively for sale in Goa, concealed beneath empty mango wooden boxes. The seized items included liquor worth Rs 12.61 lakh, two four-wheeler vehicles, and two mobile handsets, amounting to a total value of Rs 30.71 lakh.

The investigation indicated that the accused intended to sell the smuggled liquor in Ahmednagar district. Consequently, a case has been registered against them under Section 65 of the Maharashtra Liquor Prohibition Act, 1949, and Sections 80, 81, 83, 90, and 108. Four individuals have been arrested in connection with this operation.

In a parallel action, the Pune city crime branch seized 250 to 300 bags of gutkha two days ago in Narhe, highlighting the ongoing efforts to curb illegal activities in the region.