Mau (UP): Two people were arrested for using a milk tanker with a concealed compartment to illegally transport alcohol from Uttar Pradesh to Bihar, a dry state, police said.
Mau police intercepted the consignment, worth more than Rs 10 lakh, on Friday near the Gorakhpur-Varanasi highway during a special checking drive, they said.
Inside what appeared to be an ordinary milk tanker, police found 173 cartons of country-made liquor and eight cartons of whisky pouches, officials said.
Mau in eastern Uttar Pradesh is located close to Bihar, where assembly polls are due later this year.
Speaking at a press conference, SP Elamaran G said, "This is a major breakthrough for the Mau police.
The liquor was hidden inside a modified compartment in a milk tanker.
Our FSO team and Kotwali police acted swiftly on a tip-off and seized liquor worth more than Rs 10 lakh near Harua.
" She added that the liquor was picked up from Ghazipur and was being smuggled into Bihar, a state where alcohol is prohibited.
"When we scanned the barcodes on the pouches, we traced the origin to shops in Ghazipur," the SP said.
"From the outside, the tanker looked like it was carrying milk or other dairy items, but the internal structure had a hidden chamber designed to transport liquor.
" Two men from Bihar's Buxar district, who were accompanying the consignment, were arrested on the spot.
The vehicle's driver managed to flee and is currently being traced, police said.