Siliguri, 04th July: The Excise Department has carried out a major crackdown against illegal transportation of duty-free liquor from Sikkim, seizing a large quantity of alcohol in two separate operations and arresting one person. The arrested accused has been identified as Santosh Kumar Prasad.
According to sources, the Excise Department received confidential information that duty-free Sikkim-made liquor and beer were being transported from Namchi in Sikkim through Siliguri to Bihar using a vehicle.
Acting on the tip-off, officials of the Pradhan Nagar Excise Circle conducted an operation near Champasari SJDA Market along NH-10. During the checking, they intercepted a vehicle and recovered a large quantity of liquor. The driver, Santosh Kumar Prasad, was arrested on the spot.
In a second operation conducted late at night near Siliguri Junction, officials recovered around 50 litres of duty-free Sikkim liquor from a scooty. However, no arrest was made in this case.
The Excise Department has launched a detailed investigation into both incidents to trace the wider network involved in the illegal liquor transportation.