Stringent measures against illegal liquor smuggling: Telangana DGP

Hyderabad: Telangana director general of police (DGP)) Anjani Kumar on Saturday said that there is a need for better coordination between the state police, Excise, Railways and Transport departments to stop the smuggling of liquor into Telangana state from the border and northern states.

Anjana Kumar was speaking at a review meeting held on Saturday with State Prohibition and Excise Commissioner Sarfraz Ahmed, Additional DG Railways Shivdhar Reddy (CID Division), Addl. DGP Mahesh Bhagwat, Addl. DGP Sanjay Kumar Jain (law and order), IG Shah Nawaz Kasim, and Intelligence DIG Karthikeya etc.

During the meeting, Telangana DGP Anjani Kumar said that illegal liquor manufacturing and ‘gudumbas’ (illicit liquor) have been prevented in the state, but the unlawful transportation of liquor from other states should be stopped. Action is being taken against smugglers of illegal liquor on the basis of the information and further coordination between various departments can prevent illegal smuggling, he added.

Additional DG Railways Shivdhar Reddy stated that the Government Railway Police will also provide full cooperation, said a press release from Kumar’s office.

Telangana CID Additional DG Mahesh Bhagwat revealed that 27,883 cases have been registered against illegal liquor in Telangana since 2014. He said that cases have been registered against 161 people who smuggle liquor from other states. He said that non-duty paid liquor is being illegally transported to our state mainly from Delhi, Chandigarh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Haryana and Andhra Pradesh. It is mentioned that the PD Act has also been imposed on 15 people who often commit illegalities. However, compared to the past, Prohibition Excise cases have reduced significantly.

Prohibition Excise Commissioner Sarfraz Ahmed said that due to the difference in prices, illegal liquor is coming from Goa, Haryana and Chandigarh, illegal entry of liquor has become an organized crime. He said that this is having a significant impact on the revenue of the state.

Ahmed said that tourists from Karnataka and Goa are also bringing liquor illegally and it is coming through inter-state buses and tourist vehicles. In addition to this, he explained that there is also a problem on the Nagpur-Ballarsha and Nizamabad railway lines.

Police, Transport, Railway Police and State Police have been asked to work together to prevent this illegal liquor traffic, the release added. Intelligence DIG Karthikeya revealed that along with the border states, they have identified those who transport illegal liquor from Punjab, Chandigarh, Goa, Delhi and other states and prepared a list of them.