Mumbai Police, Maharashtra excise dept to watch out for hooch traders and those selling alcohol in black

MUMBAI: Even as tipplers queued outside city liquor stores hoping to 'slake' their throats after 43 days, Mumbai Police and the state excise department have formed a special team to look out for smugglers and hooch traders. This special team will keep a close eye on every vehicle on the roads, be they important junctions or bylanes, to ensure that smugglers do not escape their dragnet.

A senior police officer, who did not wish to be named, told The Free Press Journal, as liquor shops had limited stock before the lockdown was implemented, it is expected that this stock will be exhausted within a week, as tipplers will ensure their liquor cabinets are well-stocked, in anticipation of another lockdown extension after May 17.