Excise teams foil 5 smuggling bids

Tribune News Service
Mohali, December 8 

The Excise and Taxation Department seized 93 cases of liquor, including 74 of country-made liquor, in five different incidents in the district today. The cases were being smuggled from Chandigarh to Punjab areas via Mohali. 

Paramjit Singh, Assistant Excise and Taxation Commissioner (AETC), Mohali, said in one of the incidents, the suspected liquor smugglers, who were travelling in a car, tried to hit their vehicle when intercepted. “They then tried to speed away. During the chase, the smuggler’s car hit a tree,” said the AETC, adding that the car was chased by a team consisting of inspectors Jaspreet Singh and Sarup for around 3 km.

The smugglers managed to flee leaving behind the car, from which 19 cases of Indian-made foreign liquor and six cases of country-made liquor were recovered, he added. 

In another case, an excise team recovered 15 cases of Royal Arms whisky from a taxi, which was intercepted at Zirakpur. A case has been registered.

In another case, an excise team arrested a scooterist with 120 bottles of country-made liquor. The suspect has been identified as Harjit Singh.  In yet another incident, a team of excise officials intercepted an Activa driver at Kurali and recovered 48 bottles of country-made liquor from him. In yet another catch, officials recovered 468 bottles of country-made liquor. A case was registered.