42,000 bottles of 'illicit' foreign liquor worth Rs 10 crore seized from vendor in Gurugram
CHANDIGARH: A joint team of Haryana Police and state Excise Department seized a large consignment of 'illicit' foreign liquor from a high-end liquor vendor under the name Theka Wine Shop near Signature Tower in Gurugram. Around 42,000 bottles of liquor estimated to be worth Rs 10 crore were seized. The seized stock was smuggled into the country without paying customs or excise duty. These bottles of premium international brands are sold between Rs 5,000 and Rs 1.5 lakh per bottle. It is believed that this liquor consignment was routed through airports using organised smuggling channels and sold at high margins to premium customers in the Millennium City. The Excise Department acted on a tip-off that that illicit liquor was being sold at this 'Theka Wine Shop', and reached the liquor shop late Tuesday evening during rush hours. The officials claimed that they had suspected that a hundred illicit bottles would be found, but the quantity of seized goods left them shocked. Deputy Excise and Taxation Commissioner Amit Bhatia claimed that this is the largest illegal stock of foreign liquor ever seized in the state and added that more raids and arrests are expected as the investigation progresses. Some 3,921 cases of illicit foreign liquor each containing 6 to 12 bottles along with 176 loose bottles were seized. A first information report has been registered against wine shop contractor, and further investigation is underway. Now raids would now be conducted on all wine shops in Gurugram, he said. It is learnt that an internal investigation has been started by the excise department into how such a large quantity of such liquor reached a licensed shop and why the department failed to detect it in time. Officials pointed out that the illicit sales caused crores in revenue loss to the state. Officials further claimed that during questioning of the employees at the liquor shop, it was said that daily sales were around Rs 50 lakh, as high-profile customers bought these expensive imported brands. Preliminary inquiries suggest links between smuggling networks operating across Delhi, Haryana, and Rajasthan, said sources.
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