HYDERABAD: The kingpin in the premium liquor racket, Shiva Patil, and those who used to supply liquor bottles from Delhi and Chennai used hawala route to conduct their transactions.
Though it is not clear whether all the bottles procured from other cities were duty-free liquor, officials have come to know that the gang members used to lure customers by selling premium brands at prices lesser than `500 to `1000 from MRP at upmarket locales of Banjara Hills and Jubilee Hills.
The Telangana State Prohibition and Excise Department recently cracked a racket which was illegally procuring liquor from duty free shops at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport using passports of air passengers and selling it for profit outside.
In connection with this, officials from the department caught one person Shiva Patil, who is kingpin. Apart from the airport, he tapped sources in Delhi and Chennai to get the bottles for lesser price. In fact, duty-free bottles from Sri Lanka were also recovered when raids were conducted at a residence located in the city on Tuesday.Officials are trying to find if the bottles from Delhi and Chennai are also duty free liquor.