Counterfeit stickers, bulk holograms seized at Parwanoo liquor plant

The enforcement wing of State Taxes and Excise Department (STED) on Monday seized bulk holograms of country liquor meant for sale in Haryana, besides detecting missing stock of 9,000 bulk litres of extra neutral alcohol (ENA), at Parwanoo-based KM Distillery Private Limited, which is officially closed.

A team of nine officials, led by Additional Commissioner (enforcement wing) Ujjwal Singh Rana, visited the officially closed distillery around 11:30 am and seized 40,000 counterfeit stickers of track and trace meant for being affixed on liquor cases, along with 48,000 holograms of liquor meant for sale in Haryana of Frost Falcon Distillers in Sonepat. Additionally, 700 labels of Santara brand country liquor were found, said Rana.

A police complaint will be filed by the local STED officials. The Collector of STED (south) on Monday directed that the distillery be sealed. Four to five persons were illegally found in the plant.

A stock of 9,000 bulk litres of extra neutral liquor, which can be used to manufacture liquor worth lakhs, was found missing from the premises, hinting towards unauthorised liquor manufacturing at the distillery, which neither had the license to manufacture liquor for Himachal nor an export license for manufacturing it for other states.

Rana said the Sonepat-based officials of STED had been informed about the seizure and they were on their way to probe the matter.

While examining the close circuit camera installed at the distillery, the transportation of liquor from the unit was found to be carried out illegally. The officials took into possession the digital video recorder.

With the Commissioner of STED directing the enforcement wing to examine all liquor units located at the borders, the officials zeroed in on the plant after developing credible inputs.

The distillery had remained controversial earlier as well when the Parwanoo police had seized 700 boxes of country liquor, transported illegally in a truck at Parwanoo, that was heading for Solan and Shimla in April 2021.

Following this, a detailed probe was conducted by the officials and it had remained closed for some time, besides a monetary penalty having been imposed. Its license was not renewed since April this year.