UP: Two held with illicit alcohol worth Rs 1 crore in Etah

AGRA: A truck smuggling concentrated ethyl alcohol worth Rs 1 crore was seized in Etah. Police apprehended two men, Mohammad Nadim and Sharikh Hussain of Nagar Kotwali, Etah. The truck was waylaid by police at around 8:10 pm on Sunday near FCI godown on Grand Trunk road.
According to police, the truck had a forged registration number and the men in it were attempting to smuggle liquor from Noida via Aligarh to Kurawali, Mainpuri district.
Anup Kumar Bharti, station house officer (SHO) of Dehat Kotwali Etah said, “We received a tip off about a truck smuggling illicit liquor to a neighbouring district. The truck was waylaid and two men apprehended, along with 15 drums contacting 250 litres of ethyl alcohol each. An excise team evaluated the liquor to be worth Rs 1 crore.”
The apprehended men were hired to deliver the alcohol to Kurwali men.
SHO Bharti said, “During questioning, the men revealed the identities of two Noida-based men (Akash Chaudhary and Manoj), who were smuggling the alcohol from national capital region. Police conducted a raid to nab the duo but they fled, taking advantage of the night.”
“We still have to investigate about the source of alcohol and put a stop to its supply. Prima facie, it seems the liquor was being smuggled for the upcoming election,” he added. Police booked the two arrested men under Customs Act.
In Firozabad, Makhanpur police seized 938 cartons of country-made liquor from a Madhya-Pradesh-registered truck and SUV. According to police, illicit liquor worth Rs 30 lakh was being smuggled from Punjab via NH-2.