Chandauli (UP), March 15 Over 710 cartons of Indian-made Foreign Liquor (IMFL), worth approximately Rs 1.20 crore, being smuggled to Bihar, where the sale of alcoholic beverages is prohibited, were seized in Uttar Pradesh's Chandauli. Two smugglers were also arrested, police said on Sunday.
Circle Officer (Sadar) Devendra Kumar said that the consignment of liquor was being transported from Noida to Bihar via Chandauli.
Acting on a tip-off, the police team intercepted a truck during a check near a petrol pump at Barthi Kamarour on National Highway-19.
During the inspection, sacks filled with putty were found in the truck, and a search revealed 710 cartons of IMFL concealed behind them, he said, adding that the liquor is worth approximately Rs 1.20 crore.
The police arrested the truck driver, identified as Ali Bakhsh (27), a resident of Jharkhand's Dumka. Another accused, Murtaz Ansari (40), a resident of Deoghar district, was also apprehended along with a Mahindra Bolero, which was allegedly being used to provide location updates to the truck, the officer said.
A case has been registered against the accused under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Excise Act, and further legal proceedings are underway, the police added.
The Bihar government enforced a complete ban on the manufacture, trade, storage, transportation, sale, and consumption of liquor in the state in 2016.