PANAJI
The Pune division of the Maharashtra State Excise Department seized liquor and allied materials valued at nearly Rs 48 lakh late Thursday night, allegedly illegally transported from Goa, in two separate enforcement drives conducted on highways in Satara and Solapur districts.
The raids led to the arrest of five persons and the seizure of vehicles used to ferry the contraband. Acting on specific intelligence inputs, excise teams intercepted the vehicles during routine checks on major highways.
In the first case, a four-wheeler was stopped on the Pune-Solapur National Highway near Uruili Kanchan. Upon inspection, officials recovered a sizeable stock of foreign liquor manufactured in Goa. Three persons ” including the driver and the alleged key accused ” all hailing from Karmala taluka in Solapur district, were taken into custody. Liquor, the vehicle and other related materials worth Rs 4.71 lakh were seized during the operation.
The second action was carried out near Sarola village in Bhor taluka on the Pune-Bengaluru National Highway. Based on a tip-off, excise officials set up a trap and intercepted a six-wheeler truck. A search of the vehicle revealed a large consignment of Goa-labelled liquor concealed beneath a load of medicines. In this case, liquor worth Rs 43.57 lakh was seized along with a truck and a car, and two persons from Pune were detained.
The coordinated operations were conducted under the supervision of Excise Commissioner Rajesh Deshmukh, Joint Commissioner Prasad Surve and Divisional Deputy Commissioner Sagar Dhomkar, guided by Pune Excise Superintendent Atul Kanade.
With municipal elections due in parts of the district, excise authorities have cautioned that attempts to distribute illicit liquor to influence voters may increase. To prevent such activities, the department has deployed 21 special squads across the Pune division. Measures such as intensified night patrolling, close monitoring of habitual offenders and thorough inspection of vehicles have also been ordered.
