Cheap liquor sold as premium, Excise Department raid busts racket in Kangras Bhawarna

Fake labels and caps of premium brands seized from a house at Bhawarna on Saturday.

The accused are reportedly liquor licence holders who had allegedly been under the department’s surveillance for nearly three months. The recovery of labels, caps and resealing machine has raised suspicions of an organised racket to pass off cheaper liquor as premium brands, potentially cheating consumers and violating excise regulations.

The operation was conducted under the supervision of Kangra Deputy Commissioner, Excise and Taxation, Manoj Dogra, along with his counterpart from Hamirpur district. A police team from the Bhawarna police station assisted the excise officials during the search.

During the operation, the team also broke open a locked cupboard after failing to get its key. Nothing was found inside the cupboard, but liquor and other materials were recovered from different parts of the house.

Confirming the raid, Dogra said the department had received specific information about illegal liquor trade in the area. Officials from both districts joined hands to verify the information and take action against those allegedly involved in the racket. The department reportedly monitored the activities of the suspects for nearly three months before conducting the raid.

A case under the Excise Act has been registered at the Bhawarna police station, and further investigation is under way to establish the scale of the alleged operation, trace the source of the liquor and identify all those involved.

The exact quantity and value of the seized liquor were not immediately available at the time of filing this report, as the operation was still under way. Excise officials warned that strict action would be taken against anyone found violating excise laws. They added that enforcement drives would continue to curb the illegal transportation, storage and sale of liquor.