21 August,2011 07:13 AM IST | | Urvashi Seth
The state excise commission is leaving no stone unturned to stop free flow of cheap Goan liquor in Mumbai markets
The next time you are at a pub, be sure to check the bottle before downing a peg since there are chances that you might be served cheap Goan booze for the price of a high-end international brand. With liquor prices at an all-time high, spurious liquor from Goa is fast penetrating markets in Mumbai, creating worries for the Maharashtra State Excise Department once more. The state excise department recently busted two such rackets, where they found bootleggers mixing Goa's cheapest liquor in the bottles of premium alcohol brands such as Jack Daniel's.
One of the gangs was busted on Thursday at P D'mello Road behind GT Hospital, where a man was caught mixing cheap whiskey such as Real Flavor and Vega Vated in bottles of expensive whiskey. On the instructions of Excise Commissioner Sanjay Mukherjee, a team was sent to P D'mello road, where bootleggers Sachin Tukaram Gaikwad and Joseph were caught red-handed inside a small hut. "The value of the seized amount is not much, but we fear that Goan liquor is flowing into the market," said Vaibhav Vaidya of the excise department's flying squad. "We are investigating the matter and gathering information about several such rackets," he added.
The second successful raid, where cheap Goan liquor was seized, was carried out by excise officials in Vasai on Friday night. Speaking to Sunday MiD DAY, Joint Commissioner of Excise Department A B Ghatol confirmed that these rackets were a result of the hike in liquor prices.
"Since the liquor prices have gone up, fake liquor sales have increased in the state. Liquor is cheap in Goa, so bootleggers try to smuggle liquor in. We have asked our men to crank up their vigilance," Ghatol said. When asked if the department has any plans of reducing the liquor prices, Ghatol said, "Though alcohol prices have increased, the state revenue has also increased. It's unlikely that liquor prices will go down."
Department registers 3,700 fake liquor cases:
In the last 45 days, 1,983 people have been arrested on charges of flouting various excise laws.
Among the 4,540 cases registered, around 3,700 pertain to fake liquor/ selling cheap alcohol in the name of expensive brands. The remaining cases are of bootlegging and selling/ consuming alcohol without a permit.
Modus Operandi:
As per officials, people dealing in fake liquor have adopted the modus operandi used by bootleggers in Gujarat.
The bootleggers purchase liquor bottles from scrap dealers in Mumbai and Delhi. The corks used in the bottles are made in Vapi and Valsad in Gujarat. To avoid detection, the racketeers use angadias (human carriers) to transport the stock and raw material.
New system of operation:
According to industry experts, bootleggers have started operating from residential areas. They rent an apartment and get their family to stay with them for few days before they sneak in colleagues. They usually opt for homes on secluded top floors.
