Bhiwandi: The state excise department has busted an interstate liquor smuggling operation and seized a consignment of Goa marked liquor worth nearly Rs 1.90 crore that was being illegally transported to Udaipur in Rajasthan through Maharashtra.Acting on a specific tip-off, officials from। Bhiwandi excise department team intercepted a six-wheeler container truck on the Mumbai-Nashik Highway near Vadpe village in Bhiwandi, Thane district on Wednesday. The vehicle, bearing registration number HR-61 F-1508, was stopped and searched by the excise flying squad.According to officials, the truck was ostensibly carrying electronic goods from Goa to Udaipur. However, a detailed inspection of the sealed container in the presence of panch witnesses revealed a large stock of foreign liquor meant exclusively for sale in Goa.The excise department seized 1,620 boxes of sealed liquor bottles valued at Rs 1.63 crore. The container truck worth Rs 27 lakh and a mobile phone were also confiscated, taking the total value of the seized property to Rs 1.90 crore.Investigators said the liquor was being transported illegally from Goa to Rajasthan without the required permits and in violation of state excise regulations. The seizure is being viewed as a major blow to an interstate liquor smuggling network operating across western India.The truck driver, identified as Hanuman Molata Ram (28), a resident of Rajasthan, has been booked under relevant provisions of the Maharashtra Prohibition Act. Officials are now probing the supply chain to identify the consignors, receivers and other individuals involved in the racket.
