PATNA: An oil tanker in Bihar's Muzaffarpur district was found delivering liquor instead of oil on Wednesday
About 200 beer crates were found in an oil tanker carrying logo of Hindustan Petroleum. The tanker carrying the registration number of Nagaland was intercepted by a team of excise department officials on Sakri-Sariaya on the Muzaffarpur-Hajipur road.
On seeing the excise department team, the driver and an illicit liquor trader fled after abandoning the tanker on the national highway. The raiding team chased them, but they managed to escape leaving behind the tanker on the busy road.
On being searched, beer crates were found. Assistant Excise Commissioner Vijay Shankar Dubey said that acting on a tip-off that liquor was being smuggled to Bihar from Arunachal Pradesh in an oil tanker, a team was deployed to track the vehicle and a road-blockade was put up for the purpose.
“When the members of the excise department team tried to intercept, the driver turned the vehicle towards another road. However, it was finally seized and illicit liquor recovered,” the assistant excise commissioner revealed. He said that efforts were on to ascertain the identity of the local receiver who had booked the consignment.
“A case has been registered in this connection,” Dubey said, adding that raids were on to arrest the accused. The seized vehicle has been brought to the excise police station. The manufacture, sale and storage of liquor is completely banned in Bihar under the new excise and prohibition policy 2016. As a result, liquor smugglers devise novel ways to transport liquor from outside the state.
Earlier, liquor was found being transported in ambulances and trucks fitted with special compartments to store liquor bottles. Fruits like watermelon was also used to smuggle liquor. Last week, state hit the headlines after the death of 37 persons in a hooch tragedy that took place in Siwan, Saran and Gopalganj districts.
