Liquor worth Rs 6 lakh missing from customs’ godown

NEW DELHI: Branded liquor worth over Rs 6 lakh went missing from a godown at the new customs house near IGI airport. A complaint in this regard was registered by the customs on Wednesday. Officials said the incident took place in October after a party arrived to take the delivery of the liquor after getting a releasing letter from the competent authority, but all the 84 bottles of high-end liquor were found missing.
According to the complaint filed by the customs, one of their officers came under the police scanner for allegedly selling drugs after stealing them from the seized items.
“In August this year, it was found that the officer under suspicion, who was in-charge of VIP and armoury godowns, had not handed over the charge of these godowns and the liquor stock register to any other officer. In his absence, the department formed different committees to take charge of the godowns. The locks were broken and videos of the items were taken. The shortage of liquor remained unnoticed as the liquor stock register was missing,” the complaint mentioned.
It further read, “In October, when a party arrived with an order to release their seized liquor, it was found that seven out of nine packets were empty. The market value of these missing liquor bottles is approximately Rs 6,48,000.”
The complaint also gave details of the officers posted in the disposal branch who looked after the charge of the godowns. A senior Delhi police officer said that an FIR has been registered and the incident is being probed.
“We received a complaint by the customs on Wednesday and the FIR was registered. As the exact date of when the incident of theft took place is not clear, we are investigating on the basis of the period in which the item went missing. People are being questioned to know more. The custodians of the godowns at the time of incident may also be questioned,” the officer said.