Thiruvananthapuram: The excise department has stepped up surveillance on Tamil Nadu and Karnataka border and intensified raids in suspected places to check illicit liquor, spirit flow during Onam season.
Over 1,000 raids are being conducted in suspected places daily with major focus on the interstate borders.
Over 500 excise officials have been deployed at 42 major and minor border checkposts to intercept the illicit liquor, wash and arrack.
Over the past four days hundreds of litres of IMFL, arrack and thousands of litres of wash have been seized from various parts of the state. Excise intelligence wing is working 24/7 to track the movement of illicit liquor.
Sources said much of the liquor flows into the state from major checkposts like Muthanga and Wayalar. While excise officials have managed to keep a close watch in Muthanga, the surveillance in Wayalar continuous to be strenuous task considering the heavy flow of vehicles from the state’s biggest checkpost. Consequently the surveillance and checking operations are being carried out with the assistance of highway police and local police.
Excise and police squads are conducting random checking of vehicles coming from Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. There have been excise intelligence inputs about liquor being brought in from neighbouring states. The liquor smuggling goes up during Onam because of the huge demand in the state during the festival season.
Even bikes, scooters are being used to ferry liquor from neighbouring outlets. All enforcement agencies are also keeping a close watch on smuggling of drugs and ganja along with liquor.
“We will continue surveillance through the week. Raids will be scaled up in various parts of the state. There is no room for any letup during the Onam period. We have deployed our full strength including women excise police personnel for surveillance and enforcement duties,” said a senior official of the department.
