Fake Country Liquor Factory Unearthed in Goa, Maharashtra State Excise Seizes Rs 21 Lakh Worth Liquor in Pune Operation
Pimpri Chinchwad, 30th January 2024: In a major crackdown, the Maharashtra State Excise has exposed a counterfeit country liquor manufacturing factory in Goa after intercepting a truck carrying illicit liquor. The officials confiscated fake liquor valued at Rs 21 lakh, leading to the subsequent discovery and busting of the illegal factory in Goa.
Under the leadership of Charan Singh Rajput, Superintendent of State Excise, Pune, and Yuvaraj Shinde, Deputy Superintendent of Pimpri-Chinchwad State Excise, the truck was intercepted on January 23 along the Old Pune-Mumbai highway near Mamurdi.
Upon inspection of the truck, authorities discovered 60,000 bottles (600 boxes) of 90 ml capacity Rocket Orange, a brand allegedly manufactured in the state of Goa. The seized counterfeit country liquor, worth Rs 21 lakh, was confiscated, along with the ten-wheeler truck valued at Rs 15 lakh, and a case was promptly registered.
Rajput stated, “After receiving information that the seized counterfeit country liquor is being produced in a godown at Vadaval in Bicholim taluka of North Goa district and being sold in Maharashtra State, our team went there and, with the assistance of Goa Police, busted the illegal factory producing spurious liquor. Materials worth Rs 1.34 lakh were seized in the raid. The total value of confiscated items in the case now stands at Rs 38.14 lakh.”
The arrested individuals include Zulfiqar Taj Ali Chaudhary, aged 68, a resident of Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, and B Amit Thakur, aged 30, a resident of Bormal, Palghar, Maharashtra. The court has remanded them to five days of police custody, while two other accused remain at large.
The excise team, led by inspectors Deepak Supe, Pravin Shelar, and sub-inspectors Rohit Mane, RM Supekar, DB Golekar, Sheetal Pawar, Namrata Wagh, ASI DK Patil, Sagar Dhurve, and constables Rohidas Gaikwad, Atul Barangule, Tatyaba Shinde, Rahul Jonjal, Ashok Adamankar, Ram Chawre, and Sanjay Gore, played a crucial role in the operation.
