Vijayapura: Police Seize Huge Liquor Consignment, 4 Arrested
The seizure was made in the early hours of Tuesday near Kolhar Naka within the limits of Jalanagar police station.
Vijayapura: Vijayapura district police on Tuesday seized a huge consignment of liquor and arrested four persons who were allegedly transporting it illegally from Goa to Maharashtra by concealing the stock beneath bags of vermicompost in a truck. Police said the seized liquor was worth Rs 74.68 lakh in Goa, but its value would rise to nearly Rs 1.37 crore in Karnataka due to the difference in liquor prices between the two states.
The seizure was made in the early hours of Tuesday near Kolhar Naka within the limits of Jalanagar police station.
Based on a tip-off DySP Nagaraj J and his team rushed to the Naka and spotted the truck and found a large quantity of liquor hidden beneath bags of earthworm manure and covered with a tarpaulin.
During the search, police seized 3,480 bottles of Mansion House Brandy, 19,056 bottles of Royal Blue and 38,400 bottles of Royal Select liquor, amounting to a total of 12,952 litres of alcohol valued at Rs 74.68 lakh.
Police also seized the truck used for transportation, 60 bags of vermicompost and the tarpaulin used to conceal the liquor. The total value of the seized property, including the vehicle, has been estimated at Rs 1.02 crore.
The arrested accused have been identified as Srinivas Meesi (25), a truck driver from Jalligere village in Gadag district; Husainsab Mulla (35), a resident of Gandhinagar in Vijayapura, Siddaram Dale (24) of Solapur in Maharashtra, and Basavaraj Bhajantri (31), a resident of Gadi Somanal village in Talikote taluk who is currently residing in Vijayapura.
According to police, the accused failed to produce any valid documents for transporting the liquor and admitted that the consignment was being moved from Panaji in Goa to Maharashtra.
A case has been registered at Jalanagar police station under Sections 32, 34 and 38(A) of the Karnataka Excise Act. All four accused have been taken into custody and further investigation is in progress.
Superintendent of Police Laxman Nimbargi commended the police team for detecting the illegal liquor transportation and making the seizure.
