Excise dept busts fake Scotch racket
In a crackdown, officers from the Ludhiana East Range, under the guidance of Additional Chief Secretary Vikas Pratap, Excise Commissioner Varun Roojam and Additional Commissioner (Excise) Naresh Dubey, have exposed a liquor scam involving the refilling of empty bottles of premium Scotch brands with cheap liquor.
Acting on a tip-off, excise inspectors and police under the supervision of Dr Shivani Gupta, Assistant Commissioner Excise, Ludhiana East Range, along with excise officers Ashok Kumar and Amit Goyal, raided three locations at Jaspal Bangar, Lohara and Kanganwal, and seized a large quantity of illegal liquor.
The raid uncovered a shocking operation where high-end Scotch bottles, including Chivas Regal, Glen Livet, Dewar’s, Jim Beam, 100 Pipers and Johnnie Walker Black Label, were found to be refilled with cheap brands and country liquor. These bottles were then resold at premium prices to unsuspecting buyers. Officials also discovered a stockpile of empty branded bottles, duplicate packaging materials, loose caps and a large quantity of cheap liquor, which was being used to refill the premium bottles.
This illegal operation appears to be part of a larger network aiming to deceive customers and evade excise duties. A senior Excise Department official stated, “This is not just an illegal liquor haul but a well-organised fraud where fake Scotch was being sold at premium rates. We are investigating the entire supply chain and will take strict action against those involved.”
The department has launched further investigations to identify the key players behind this racket. Authorities have also urged citizens to purchase liquor only from authorised vendors and report any suspicious activities related to counterfeit alcohol.
