Lucknow: In a joint operation with the excise department and the southern zone surveillance cell, Lucknow police busted an illegal liquor manufacturing and smuggling racket operating from a rented house in PGI area and arrested a man with 1,346 quarter bottles of counterfeit branded whisky allegedly meant for supply to Bihar.Accused Anil Verma (36) of Azad Nagar in Krishna Nagar was arrested during a raid at a house in Sector 10-C, Vrindavan Yojana. His associate Vimal Yadav of Azamgarh is absconding.Police said teams were conducting checks near the Sector-8 underpass when they received information about a stockpile of illicit liquor being stored and prepared for transportation from the rented premises. Acting on the tip-off, police and excise officials raided the house and recovered liquor bottles, cartons, packaging material, fake QR codes, counterfeit labels and bottle caps used to pass off spurious liquor as genuine branded products.ADCP, south, Vasant Kumar Rallapalli, said Anil revealed during interrogation that he and Vimal had rented the premises to manufacture and package fake liquor. The counterfeit stock was being prepared for supply to Bihar, where prohibition creates a lucrative black market, police said.The seizure included 612 quarter bottles of 8 PM premium black superior whisky and 734 bottles of After Dark Blue Rare Grain Whisky, each of 180 ml capacity.Investigators said Vimal arranged transportation of the liquor to destinations outside UP. Police added both accused have a history of involvement in excise-related offences and had previously been jailed in similar cases.
