Team Goemkarponn
PANAJI: The Maharashtra State Excise Department’s Pune division has confiscated liquor and allied materials valued at ₹48 lakh during two separate enforcement drives carried out on the Satara and Solapur highways. Officials said the consignments were allegedly being smuggled from Goa into Maharashtra for unlawful sale.
The operations led to the arrest of five persons and the seizure of vehicles used to transport the contraband. Acting on specific intelligence inputs, excise teams intercepted the vehicles during routine highway surveillance.
In the first case, excise officials intercepted a car on the Pune–Solapur National Highway near Uruili Kanchan. A search of the vehicle revealed a large quantity of foreign liquor manufactured in Goa. Three individuals, including the driver and the suspected kingpin, all residents of Karmala taluka in Solapur district, were taken into custody. Liquor, the vehicle and other materials collectively worth ₹4.71 lakh were seized.
The second operation was conducted near Sarola village in Bhor taluka along the Pune–Bengaluru National Highway. Based on a tip-off, excise personnel laid a trap and stopped a six-wheeler truck. During inspection, officials found a substantial stock of Goa-labelled liquor concealed within a consignment of medicines. Liquor worth ₹43.57 lakh was seized along with a truck and a car, and two persons from Pune were detained.
The coordinated action was carried out under the supervision of Excise Commissioner Rajesh Deshmukh, Joint Commissioner Prasad Surve and Divisional Deputy Commissioner Sagar Dhomkar, with guidance from Pune Excise Superintendent Atul Kanade.
With municipal elections scheduled in parts of the district, excise authorities have cautioned that attempts to circulate illegal liquor to influence voters may increase. To address this, 21 special enforcement teams have been deployed across the Pune division. Officials have also ordered intensified night patrols, strict tracking of repeat offenders and enhanced vehicle inspections.
Superintendent Kanade said the department will continue its strict action against the illegal manufacture, transport and sale of liquor, and appealed to citizens to report any suspicious activity to the authorities.
