Ahead of New Year, excise department seizes liquor worth Rs 35 lakh

Ahead of new year celebrations in Mumbai, the Konkan division of the state excise department on Saturday midnight seized illicit foreign made liquor worth Rs 35.7 lakh in a tempo in Vadkhal Naka in Raigad district. The liquor was being transported in the tempo from Goa to Mumbai, officials said.

Excise officials called it a big seizure. “We received information of liquor being transported from Goa to Mumbai. We laid a trap and during a check of vehicles, the tempo was caught with the liquor,” said Nilesh Sangde, SP, Raigad excise department. The seizure was carried out under the supervision of the newly appointed excise commissioner V Radha.

According to official of the excise department, every year, ahead of the New Year, supply of illicit and sub-standard liquor to the city increases, which results in revenue loss of the state.

The excise officials seized over 500 boxes of foreign made liquor from the tempo and arrested the driver, who has been identified as Santosh Pandurang Deulkar, 25, a resident of Sindhudurg. “Deulkar has been sent to excise department custody for four days after being produced at a court in Pen in Raigad district. Now, we are carrying out further investigation as to where the liquor was supposed to be declared,” said Sangde.

The driver of the tempo has been booked under section 65E, 108 and 83 of Bombay Prohibition Act.

About two months ago, the excise department had caught a truck in Rasayani in Panvel on the Mumbai-Goa highway and seized a total 1,900 boxed illicit liquor worth Rs1.1 crore.