VIJAYAWADA: Of late, smugglers are choosing Krishna river as a safe passage for bringing liquor from other states.
The Non Duty Paid Liquor (NDPL) which is mostly coming from Goa and Karnataka makes entry into Andhra Pradesh through Krishna river. Smugglers are using small boats to cross the river from Telangana to state mostly in Guntur district. As the Special Enforcement Bureau (SEB) vigilance has increased on the roadways, liquor smugglers are choosing waterway for hassle-free transport of NDPL.
High prices of liquor and non-availability of well-known brands have created unprecedented demand in Andhra Pradesh which resulted in NDPL being smuggled from other states. Krishna and Guntur districts which share vast boundary with Telangana have become vulnerable to liquor smuggling. Though the bootleggers used to get the contraband through roadways, it has become a tough task with increased vigilance and intelligence collection by the SEB.
To escape the radar of SEB, the liquor smugglers have now shifted to waterways, especially through Krishna river which flows along the western and northern boundaries of Guntur district. They are bringing the liquor from interior villages in Nagarjuna Sagar, Macherla and Durgi mandals located on the banks of Krishna in Guntur district.
The recent busts by the SEB in Guntur district suggest that liquor from Karnataka and Goa is coming to Andhra Pradesh from Telangana. The modus operandi of the smugglers is to bring liquor bottles by concealing them in concrete ready-mix vehicles. They find it an effective way to evade the radar of police as they will not suspect these vehicles because of the presence of a large number of cement factories in this area of Telangana. Moreover, the vigilance by Telangana police is comparatively low on liquor smuggling. Crossing border is the main task for the smugglers for which they choose Krishna river.
“Though bringing liquor from Karnataka and Goa involves huge transportation costs, smugglers still find it profitable when compared to the prices in Andhra Pradesh,” said a senior official in SEB.
