CANACONA: Karnataka Excise officials foiled an attempt to illegally smuggle liquor from Goa, concealed in mushroom factory waste, after seizing a vehicle in Belagavi district.
This marks the second instance in the last three months where Karnataka Excise officials discovered liquor hidden within mushroom waste and mushroom boxes.
Late Thursday night, following a tip off, Excise officials intercepted a vehicle carrying a substantial consignment of alcohol, valued at Rs 37 lakhs, concealed in mushroom factory waste.
The raiding team, led by Dr Y Manjunath, Additional Commissioner of Excise, arrested two individuals while pursuing investigations to get to the depth of the racket as it is suspected that the alcohol was sought to be smuggled to Madhya Pradesh and where the seized alcohol originated from is also not known.
It is worth noting that in September this year, liquor valued at Rs 4.5 lakhs was seized at the Majali check post near Canacona, concealed in mushroom boxes and sought to be transported to Karnataka.
Notably, in both instances, Goa Excise officials were unable to detect traces of liquor at the check post, allowing the vehicles to pass through the Goa border.
Incidentally, Goa’s borders with Maharashtra and Karnataka are on high alert due to increased liquor demand for the upcoming festive season of Christmas and New Year.
