Liquor Smuggling Racket Busted In Bhopal; 142 Bottles Found In Kitchen Basement

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): The Excise Department on Tuesday busted a liquor home delivery racket, seizing 142 bottles of English liquor from a secret basement inside a kitchen in the capital city.

The accused, Suresh Patil, a resident of Gopal Nagar Khajurikala was caught after a 10-day surveillance operation, excise officials said.

According to Assistant Excise Commissioner Virendra Singh Dhakad, the team received a tip-off about illegal liquor delivery in various areas of the city.

After monitoring Suresh's activities for over a week, officials raided his house and discovered 116 litres of liquor concealed in a specially-built basement.

Officials revealed that Suresh used to purchase branded liquor at discounted rates from licencees who were offloading stock due to changes in contracts from April 1. He then sold this liquor at a higher price through home delivery with the help of several associates.

The department is now tracking others involved in supply and distribution network. Suresh is a repeat offender, with several cases already registered against him. Authorities are also investigating how long the illegal operation had been running and identifying the liquor’s sources.