Fake liquor racket allegedly busted in Pune, Ahilyanagar; stock worth Rs 11.55 lakh seized, three held

The State Excise Department on Friday busted an alleged fake liquor racket operating in Pune and the neighbouring Ahilyanagar district. Three people were arrested, and liquor worth a total of Rs 11.55 lakh was seized from the two places.

Diwali is only a few days away. Demand for liquor generally rises during the festival, and the action came at such a time.

The department had received a tip-off that counterfeit foreign liquor had been stored for illegal sale at Bangarwadi in Belhe village of Junnar taluka. A team of the department's Pune division then raided the spot. It found 96 bottles of Royal Stag whisky, which are alleged to carry fake stoppers and labels. Also seized were 5,040 bottles of GM Orange country liquor. The goods recovered from this first location have been valued at Rs 4.27 lakh.

The three arrested are Sachin Ganpat Gadge (40) and Tahir Yusuf Shaikh (43), both from Nimgaon Sava in Junnar taluka, and Sagar Ramdas Borude (27), a resident of a village in Parner taluka.

During questioning, the accused are said to have told officials about another stock at Alkuti village in Parner taluka of Ahilyanagar district. An excise team went there and seized 1,392 bottles of Royal Stag whisky and 1,728 bottles of Imperial Blue whisky. Both kinds of bottles are alleged to carry fake stoppers and labels. This second stock is worth about Rs 7.28 lakh.

The total value of the liquor seized from the two places, in Pune district and Ahilyanagar district, thus comes to Rs 11.55 lakh.

A case has been registered against the three under the Maharashtra Prohibition Act, 1949. Officials said further investigation is under way to find out where the fake liquor came from, where it was to be distributed, and whether anyone else was involved in the racket.