5,200 litres of spirit seized, 7 held in Muz

Patna: Excise sleuths arrested seven persons and recovered 5,200 litres of rectified spirit from a truck at Maithi toll plaza under Gaighat police station in Muzaffarpur on Monday. The excise police also arrested Devanand Rai (38), a notorious liquor smuggler, who was accused in 11 cases and evading arrest for past several years.Muzaffarpur excise superintendent Kumar Amit said the rectified spirits filled in 128 gallons of 40 litres each were smuggled into Bihar from North Dinajpur in West Bengal.“The gallons were hidden inside a salt-laden truck,” Amit said, adding that the excise team was keeping an eye on the check post from 8pm on Sunday. He said the smugglers had tampered the registration number of the truck.Amit added that after intercepting the truck, they forced its occupants to call the people who were trailing the consignment. “After two hours, a white SUV reached the check post with six people inside it. Two gallons filled with spirit were recovered from the SUV along with a bottle of Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL). The spirit was being taken to Motihari in East Champaran district by one Nitesh Rai (37), who was also arrested,” Amit said, adding that two other occupants of the SUV – Mahesh Rai and Anil Rai – were found in a drunken state.