The Maharashtra State Excise Department on Saturday arrested three people for selling spurious liquor disguised as branded liquor. During investigation the department found the accused brought spurious liquor from Silvassa and Goa, and suspect that they sold it to hotels in Vasai and Virar by forging the stamps and labels of branded liquors.
According to the department, its Palghar unit, based on reliable information, stopped a tempo in the district and found liquor bottles hidden in it. During interrogation, the tempo driver revealed another tempo was headed for the route, and the department`s team stopped it. This other tempo, in which the other accused were travelling, was found to be carrying cold drinks, but after a thorough check the team found dozens of duplicate liquor bottles hidden in it.
The three arrested accused were identified as Dilip Mishra, 31, Jay Vohra, 41, and Pradeep Pillai, 40. According to the department, all three have a criminal background and have been smuggling artificial liquor for the past few years. “The accused forge the stamp and labels of branded liquors and then sell them to liquor shops. But we suspect that they have been providing it to hotels and dhabas in Vasai and Virar as we have found registered numbers of local dealers with them,” said Shankar Ambekar, inspector, Excise Department.
So far the state excise department has seized 48 boxes of liquor and both the tempos used in the transport of the artificial liquor.
48
No. of boxes of liquor that were seized
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