NOIDA: The police and excise department on Saturday arrested three persons for trying to illegally transport liquor from Delhi to Noida. Cops also seized two cartons of whisky and the SUV the men — Ricky Kumar, Rajan Giri and Ajit Singh — were travelling in.
An apparent discount rush to liquor stores in Delhi and complaints of revenue loss on this side of the border have prompted the state excise department and police to step up a vigil near the entry points of Noida and Ghaziabad to enforce the one-bottle rule recently. Posters advising against carrying liquor from other states into UP have also been put up near the borders to deter discount hunters.
“On Saturday evening, the excise department officials stopped a Mahindra Scorpio car coming from Delhi at Sector 14 A. The team found two cartons (24 bottles) of Royal Challenge Classic Premium Whisky (750 ml), eligible for sale in Delhi only, from it. The three persons in the SUV said they had bought the liquor from a shop in Mayur Vihar,” R B Singh, GB Nagar excise officer, said.
Singh said the excise department has filed an FIR against the men under the Excise Act and also made the salesman and owner of the liquor shop a co-accused in the case for selling large quantities of liquor,” he said. According to excise officials, a 750ml bottle of Royal Challenger whisky costs Rs 670 in Noida, while in Delhi it is priced at Rs 480 with a ‘buy one, get one free’ offer. The difference in price emerged as the latter recently reduced its excise duty.
