Home delivery of illicit liquor in Noida has landed a Faridabad resident in jail, police and excise officials said on Monday. Accused Anurag Bhati, who lives in Faridabad, had stored liquor meant for sale in Haryana only in a car parked in the basement of a group housing society in Sector 137 here.
He used a scooter to deliver liquor at people's homes, according to the officials.
He was arrested by Sector 142 police station officials following a raid by the Excise Department in a residential society here on Sunday night, they said.
“The raid was conducted following a tip-off by a joint team of excise inspectors Chandra Shekhar Singh and Rahul Singh along with the local police station and illicit liquor in large quantity recovered from the Fiat Avventura car parked in the basement of Paras Tierra society,” District Excise Officer Rakesh Bahadur Singh said.
“Among the liquor seized were bottles of different brands and sizes of whiskey, wine, rum and vodka — all meant for sale in Haryana only,” Singh said. Sector 142 police station in-charge Uttam Kumar said Bhati lived in Faridabad and came to Noida to store liquor which was kept in the car in the society's basement.
The car would remain covered most of the time, he added. The accused's partner, who lives here, is at large but he has been identified and searches are underway to nab him, police said. SR
“Bhati has previously dabbled in failed enterprises which include bulk sale of vegetables in Noida after its procurement from Aazadpur market in Delhi.
He also tried his hand at property broking and had got into illegal liquor supply for the last around one year,” Kumar told PTI.
Bhati has been booked under relevant provisions of the Excise Act and was produced in a local court which remanded him in judicial custody, the police official added.
The average cost of liquor in Haryana is lower than it is in Uttar Pradesh. The UP government has banned sale and consumption of illegally imported liquor in the state from outside to check loss of revenue.
