NEW DELHI: The excise department is planning massive raids on pubs and bars in the Capital as it has noticed ‘unusual’ rise in supply of illicit liquor. Official said different agencies including, the excise department and the Delhi Police have recovered almost 10,000 litres of liquor in the last 20 days. Police said areas adjoining Haryana in southwest and west districts and Dwarka are becoming transit hubs for smugglers. Interestingly, females are also involved and work as carriers.
According to the excise department, it is illegal to purchase liquor from Haryana for commercial purpose and pubs and bars in Delhi can only buy liquor from Delhi government. “There is a price margin of almost 20 per cent if someone buys liquor from Haryana instead of Delhi. For single malt premium brands, one has to pay `1,200 there whereas in Delhi, one pays `1,500. This makes pubs and bars in Delhi purchase liquor illegally,” a senior excise official said.
Last year, the department had filed over a dozen FIRs against pubs and bars buying liquor illegally to avoid paying duty. “These pubs are located in Greater Kailash, New Friends Colony, Chanaykyapuri etc. Cases were registered against them. During raids, we found expensive liquor only for sale in Haryana,” a senior official said.
Delhi Police had last month arrested two cousins for smuggling liquor. The duo revealed it was their family business to buy liquor from Haryana and sell it in Delhi. “Both of them were school dropouts. They used to buy liquor from Faridabad on cheaper rate and sell in the border area of Delhi and Noida on higher rates. The mother of one of the accused is also a known bootlegger,” said Chinmoy Biswal, DCP, south-east district.
Raids across the city
January 11
2,840 liquor bottles seized in Shahdara and two people, including a woman, arrested
January 14
2,016 bottles recovered from two youths smuggling them from Faridabad to Delhi
January 22
5,280 bottles recovered and
one arrested from Vivek Vihar
January 28
1,750 bottles seized from a supplier, Abbas Khan,
who work in film production in Mumbai
February 1
5,040 bottles recovered and two people arrested from Anand Vihar
February 3
6,533 bottles seized and a person
was arrested from Dwarka area
Action taken
EXCISE ACT 2016 2017
Cases reported 2284 2688
People arrested 2365 2753
Recovery of bottles
Country made Liquor 3,37,094 4,67,359