Pune: Excise Department Seizes Illegal Liquor Worth Rs 2.03 Crore in Major Crackdown
Pune, 25th May 2026: The Pune division of the State Excise Department has seized illegal liquor stock worth around Rs 2.03 crore in a major crackdown on unlawful transportation and storage of alcohol. During the operation, officials confiscated 1,716 boxes of liquor along with two six-wheeler container trucks.
The action was carried out under the guidance of Excise Commissioner Rajesh Deshmukh, Joint Commissioner Prasad Surve and divisional deputy commissioner Sagar Dhomkar.
Officials first conducted a raid at Shikrapur in Shirur taluka of Pune district, where liquor stock meant for sale in Goa and Karnataka was seized. Based on information obtained during the investigation, another container truck was intercepted on the Mumbai-Agra highway in Dhule district.
During the search of the vehicle, officials found 696 boxes of beer and liquor. The seized stock and vehicle together were valued at around Rs 81.27 lakh.
Further investigation led officials to another container truck near the Maharashtra-Karnataka border in Sangli district. Authorities recovered 1,016 boxes of liquor licensed for sale in different states from the vehicle. Officials also found that fake number plates had been used on the container. The total value of the seized stock and vehicle in this operation was estimated at around Rs 1.21 crore.
Cases have been registered under the Maharashtra Prohibition Act, 1949, and further investigation is underway by the State Excise Department.
The department has appealed to citizens to report any information related to illegal manufacture, transportation or sale of liquor through its toll-free helpline 1800-833-333 or WhatsApp number 8422001133.
