In a major crackdown on illegal liquor smuggling, police in Maharashtra’s Thane district have seized over 18,000 bottles of counterfeit Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) valued at more than Rs 45 lakh. The liquor was allegedly transported from Goa and repackaged in Thane for local sale. Four persons have been arrested in connection with the case.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime), Amarsingh Jadhav, said at a press conference that the Thane Crime Branch received a tip-off about a gang involved in transporting low-grade IMFL from Goa to Thane. Acting on the input, the police laid a trap on June 4.
“Around 8.30 pm, a transport vehicle was intercepted at the Govindwadi area in Dombivli. It was found to be carrying liquor bottles, but the driver failed to produce any documents for the consignment,” Jadhav stated.
The investigation led the police to a house in the nearby Sudamwadi area, where they uncovered a large cache of spurious liquor bottles. Two of the accused were allegedly found repackaging the liquor using counterfeit labels of reputed brands.
“Searches were carried out from the night of June 4 till 10 am on June 5. A total of 18,290 bottles of fake IMFL were seized, along with equipment used to forge labels, batch numbers, and packaging material,” the DCP added.
The arrested individuals have been identified as Srikant Bhagirath Tokde (27), the driver; Mandal Vakil Nivas (23), his assistant; Ravi Santosh Tiwari (30); and Sanjit Hazari Yadav (19). Police also seized the vehicle used for transportation.
“All four were found in possession of the contraband,” said Jadhav. A case has been registered under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including Section 318(4) for cheating, and Sections 336(2) and 336(3) for forgery, along with relevant provisions of the Maharashtra Prohibition Act.
The accused were produced before a local court, which remanded them in police custody until June 9.