Even as Prohibition and Excise (P&E) Police and Special Enforcement Bureau (SEB) officials make tall claims of tightening security at border checkposts, Non-Duty Paid Liquor (NDPL) continues to flow into the State with smugglers making good money by procuring it from neighbouring States.
Police said smugglers are importing stocks through trains and on goods vehicles and are selling the liquor in wholesale and retail to the customers.
“The smugglers are stocking the liquor at godowns in villages and are selling the stocks to their customers at three to four times the price for which they buy it in other States,” investigating officers said.
A Kaikalur Town police team led by Circle Inspector Akula Raghu arrested three women, K. Mariyamma, G. Bhavani and K. Kokila, of Bapatla district, and seized 2,949 bottles of NDPL, brought from Goa.
“On a tip-off, the police arrested the trio, who came by LTT Express, at Kaikalur on June 28. The modus operandi of the accused is to procure liquor from shops located near the railway station in Goa, alight at small stations and shift the stock to their native villages,” said Mr. Raghu.
The women bought the liquor for ₹1.35 lakh in Goa, and the value of the stock in Andhra Pradesh is ₹4.5 lakh, said Sub-Inspector Jyotibasu, who participated in the raid.
In another seizure, the SEB of NTR Police Commissionerate arrested a liquor smuggler identified as Jonnalagadda Leela Kumar, and seized 728 liquor bottles from his house, at Bank Colony in Vijayawada on June 20.
“The accused brought liquor from Haryana twice earlier and sold the entire stock. He was using goods vehicles for smuggling the liquor,” said District Special Enforcement Officer (DSEO) K.V. Ramakrishna Prasad.
The value of the seized liquor was about ₹25 lakh. Around 25 brands of NDPL was among the seized stocks, the DSEO said.
Nuzvid Rural police arrested a 72-year-old woman named K. Seetamma, of Sunkollu village on July 1 (Saturday). They seized liquor smuggled from Telangana State, worth about ₹16,500, said Nuzvid Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) E. Ashok Kumar Goud, on Sunday.
“We are trying to find out the details of the sellers and the customers at Sunkollu and the neighbouring villages,” said Nuzvid CI Anka Babu.
