950 cartons of liquor worth Rs 85L seized in Agra, 3 held

Agra: Three men were arrested after Agra Police busted an interstate liquor smuggling network and seized over 950 cartons of illegal liquor worth around Rs 85 lakh in two separate operations in the district on Sunday.In the first operation, police from Etmadpur intercepted a truck near Kuberpur and recovered 606 cartons of liquor concealed inside a specially modified generator box in the vehicle. Police said the consignment, comprising 3,672 bottles, 4,824 half bottles and 4,752 quarter bottles of several brands, was valued at Rs 60-62 lakh. Two men from Punjab, Jagtar Singh and Sukhpal Singh, were arrested and the truck was seized.DCP (west) Aditya said, "During interrogation, the accused told police that the liquor was loaded in Bathinda and was being transported to Patna, where prohibition laws make illegal liquor trade highly profitable. To evade checks, the smugglers hid the liquor inside the generator and covered the vehicle with a tarpaulin."In a separate operation, a team from Trans Yamuna police station arrested Mularam, a resident of Rajasthan, and seized 350 cartons of liquor and beer being transported in a canter vehicle. The recovered consignment included 50 cartons of liquor and 300 cartons of beer, with an estimated value of about Rs 25 lakh.ADCP Akshay Mahadik said, "The liquor was also procured from Punjab and meant to be supplied illegally in Bihar. Several other members of the interstate gang have been identified, including Sattar, Abid and Rahul, who are absconding."Cases under sections 60(1), 63 and 72 of the Excise Act were registered at Etmadpur and Trans Yamuna police stations. Police said efforts are underway to trace and arrest the remaining members of the smuggling network.