Punjab goes after liquor mafia, over 8L litres lahan seized in less than a month

The clean-up operation against illicit liquor production and inter-state smuggling comes at a time when the state is staring at an annual loss of over Rs 600 crore in terms of non-collection of Excise Duty due to curbs to battle Covid-19.

In its crackdown against liquor mafia, the Punjab government has recovered 34,083 litres of illicit liquor in less than a month. Further, a whopping 8.32 lakh litres of lahan (raw material mixed for distillation of illicit liquor) and 1.16 lakh litres of licit liquor meant for smuggling has also been recovered as per figures available till Friday.

The drive, titled Operation Red Rose, has led to registration of 3,490 cases under the Excise Act, arrests of 2,664 accused. The clean-up operation against illicit liquor production and inter-state smuggling comes at a time when the state is staring at an annual loss of over Rs 600 crore in terms of non-collection of Excise Duty due to curbs to battle Covid-19.

https://indianexpress.com/article/india/punjab-goes-after-liquor-mafia-over-8l-litres-lahan-seized-in-less-than-a-month-6456684/