Pune: Illegal Liquor Smuggling Foiled, Two Arrested with 13 Boxes of Goa Liquor
Narhe, 28th December 2024: As the Christmas to New Year period unfolds, many people celebrate with parties to bid farewell to the outgoing year. During these celebrations, alcohol remains popular. To prevent any misconduct related to its consumption and distribution, the Maharashtra State Excise Department’s Pune Division has intensified its vigilance.
On 25th December, the Excise Department intercepted an illegal transport of liquor from Goa. Goa’s cheaper liquor is often smuggled. A two-wheeler was stopped near the Navale Bridge area on the Katraj-Dehu Road Bypass section of the Mumbai-Bengaluru Highway. Upon inspection, 13 sealed boxes of liquor were found in his possession.
The riders, identified as Ravindra Gharage and Ganesh Pawar, both residents of Katraj, were detained, and a case was registered against them. They were presented in court and remanded to Excise custody until further proceedings. Subsequent investigations led to the discovery of 12 additional boxes of Goa liquor smuggled into Maharashtra.
In total, 12 boxes of liquor, along with the vehicles used for transportation, were seized, amounting to a value of Rs 3.29 lakh. This operation was carried out by the Saswad team of the Maharashtra State Excise Department’s Pune Divisional Deputy Commissioner Sagar Dhomkar, Superintendent Charansingh Rajput and Deputy Superintendent Santosh Jagdale.
The team included Excise Inspector S.S. Barage, Sub-Inspectors S.C. Shinde and P.M. Mohite, Assistant Excise Sub-Inspector Sandeep Mandwekar, and Excise Constables Dattatraya Pilaware, Ankush Kamble, R.M. Kolpe, Sunil Kudale, and Balu Adhav.
