Maharashtra polls: As assembly elections gets near, Excise department on 'high' alert

With assembly election dates due to be announced this week, political parties and prospective candidates seem to be stocking up on liquor to be distributed among voters.

The excise dept nabbed a massive stash of liquor worth around Rs 1cr, manufactured in Goa and Haryana, last week. During Lok Sabha polls, liquor and materials worth over Rs 7.66cr had been seized.

Who seized the liquor?
The flying squad of the state excise department following a tip off.

From where and when?
From a dhaba at a village near Badlapur. Last week.

Were someone arrested?
Yes. Two people who were transporting 586 boxes of duty-not-paid liquor manufactured in Goa.

How much would that cost?
Put together, the value of the liquor and the vehicle seized would be around Rs 29.52 lakh.

Have there been more seizures?
The next day, under the guidance of excise commissioner Dr Sanjay Mukherjee and director (enforcement and vigilance) Prasad Surve, a squad comprising inspectors Mukund Bilolikar, Subhash Jadhav and cops nabbed a container at Atgaon on Mumbai-Nashik highway. It contained 1,351 boxes of IMFL and beer manufactured in Haryana.

How much is the contraband worth?
The total value of the seizure (including liquor and vehicle) is over Rs 1.01 crore.

What's the department's take on it?
The excise dept feels liquor is being smuggled in by prospective assembly candidates, who hope to please their cadre and volunteers working for them by supplying free liquor.

"The liquor manufactured in Goa and Haryana may be headed to Maharashtra for being used during the election season. We will step up vigil. It may not be be possible to completely stop the smuggling, though," an excise official said.

Why do they feel it's for politicians?
There was some cheap brands also among the Goa-made liquor seized. This makes them feel it's for being distributed among poor voters. The Haryana consignment consisted of premium brands of whisky, vodka and beer.

Moreover, during LS polls, excise dept had nabbed liquor and related materials worth over Rs 7.66 crore (from March 5 to April 24). This was almost double the seizures made in the same period last year.

How is liquor smuggled in?
The operation is conducted like a point to point relay service. The drivers involved do not know each other. They take charge of the trucks and containers at pre-designated spots. They only use code words and communicate only through phones. If one driver is caught, others destroy their SIM cards to prevent detection.

Not easy to catch them...
The mode of operation makes it difficult for the dept to trace the people who dispatch the liquor. "The chain is tough to establish. We are however trying to get to the root of the matter," an excise official said.

Why smuggle liquor into Maharashtra?
The state discourages liquor consumption by selling it at high prices. It has one of the highest excise duty regimes in India. Liquor is much cheaper in neighbouring states and union territories like Goa and Daman. That gives smugglers a huge incentive to bring in liquor to Maharashtra. And with Gujarat under prohibition, Maharashtra has also become a transit point for transporting liquor from Haryana and Madhya Pradesh to the dry state.

Do smugglers only use private vehicles?
No. They also transport it in tourist buses and trains in pouches and plastic bottles, making it difficult to detect. It's impossible to check all buses and trains.