Patna, Nov 11 (IANS) Bihar Police have seized foreign-made liquor worth approximately Rs 50 lakh and arrested four alleged smugglers from Rajasthan in Patna district ahead of the Chhath festival on Wednesday.
A total of 435 cartons containing 3,830.760 litres of liquor were recovered during a raid near a Bharat Petroleum pump in Muktakapur village, under Fatuha police station limits.
Acting on a tip-off that a large consignment of foreign liquor had been stored at the location, police formed a special team under the leadership of Inspector Ajit Kumar.
The team conducted a raid at around 2 a.m. on Wednesday and found 435 cartons of liquor stocked at the premises.
The estimated market value of the seized consignment is around Rs 50 lakh.
During the investigation, police found that the liquor bottles carried labels indicating that they were meant for sale in Chandigarh, Punjab and Haryana.
The four arrested accused have been identified as Devaram, Bishnaram, Dayaram and Dinesh Kumar.
All are residents of the Sindhari police station area in Rajasthan’s Barmer district.
Police have taken the four men into custody for questioning to ascertain the source of the consignment and identify those who were supposed to receive and distribute the liquor in Bihar.
Following the raid, the premises used for storing the liquor were sealed.
Investigators are now attempting to establish the entire smuggling network and identify other people involved in the illegal trade, including suspected links in Bihar and other states.
Police said further action would be taken based on the information obtained during the interrogation of the arrested accused.
The accused have been booked under the relevant sections of the liquor prohibition act.
They will be produced in the district court on Thursday for further legal proceedings.
Liquor has been banned in Bihar since April 2016 after the then Chief Minister Nitish Kumar took the decision.
–IANS
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