LUCKNOW: Joint teams of the excise and police departments conducted a special enforcement drive ahead of the assembly elections, seizing several thousand litres of illicit liquor from various parts of the state.

ACS (excise) Sanjay Bhoosreddy said that on Wednesday, 187 FIRs had been registered in which 5,747 litres of illicit liquor was confiscated and about 40,780 kg of lahan, the raw material used for manufacture of illicit liquor was destroyed. In all, 83 persons were arrested and four vehicles seized.

Excise commissioner Senthil C Pandiyan said a joint team of excise and police officials apprehended a truck in Hathras carrying 75 litres illicit spirit.