Punjab excise dept recovers 1,020 ltr lahan, 5 ltr illicit liquor in Dera Bassi

Mohali, March 26

The excise department confiscated a huge quantity of lahan (raw material for preparing illicit liquor), besides illicit liquor, during a search operation here in the wake of Lok Sabha election, on Monday.

During the raid, the excise department recovered 1,020 litres of lahan, 5 litres of illicit distilled liquor, one gas bhathi and drums in Dera Bassi’s Behra village.

Since the enforcement of model code of conduct, the excise teams have recovered 54 bottles of liquor in 5 different FIRs with arrest of 8 persons, besides 2 FIRs registered against drinking at illegal place/hukkah bar in Kharar and Mullanpur area of Mohali district, said officials.

“We are keeping a strict vigil on the  porous borders along Chandigarh/Haryana to ensure that there is no illegal flow of liquor to the district,” said assistant commissioner, Excise, Ashok Chalhotra, adding that the department in coordination  with the district police has earmarked 26 interstate entry points towards Mohali district from Chandigarh, Ambala and Panchkula side.

The teams have been checking dhabas, eateries and restaurants besides random checks of vehicles to ensure that no liquor could be served without valid licenses at these points besides transportation without legitimate permits, he said.

The district has registered 87 FIRs from March 1, 2023, to March 20, 2024, by recovering 13,932 bottles of liquor and 285 kg of lahan, he added.