PATNA: With the arrest of eight persons on Thursday, the Muzaffarpur police in Bihar claimed to have busted an inter-district syndicate of liquor-smugglers.
The police seized huge cash of Rs 8.78 lakhs besides 2 illegal firearms, 14 cellphones, one truck liquor worth Rs 20 lakhs and one motorcycle from a rented flat in Muzaffarpur where the syndicate was being run by the members with impunity.
According to SSP, Muzaffarpur Manoj Kumar, the busted syndicate of liquor smugglers was thriving through its illegal trading of liquor in Samastipur, Vaishali, Muzaffarpur and other districts of North Bihar I a very clandestine way.
"Recently, the members of this syndicate had earned around Rs 70 lakh from liquor supply", said a cop, who was involved in the meticulously planned operation against the syndicate.
One of the masterminds of the syndicate - Junoo Thakur - was among eight persons arrested. The rest were identified as Pravin Kumar, Sumit Kumar, Satyam Kumar, Abhimanyu Kumar and Vikram Kumar, all of whom are residents of Bihar's Samastipur, Muzaffarpur and other places.
They had rented a residential flat of 3BHK in Muzaffarpur to run the syndicate after prohibition was launched in the state in 2016.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Wednesday directed the senior police officials to take a declaration in writing from all the SHOs that sale of liquor was not going on in their areas.