The State Excise Department's D Division, Pune, has arrested four men and seized property worth Rs 69,26,390 in raids across three areas of the city — Manikbaug, Parvati Darshan and Swargate — after receiving a tip-off that Goa-manufactured liquor was being illegally brought into Pune for sale, the Free Press Journal reported. The seized property includes 112 bulk litres of Goa-made foreign liquor, which is meant exclusively for sale in Goa, along with two motorcycles, one four-wheeler and a six-wheeler intercity travel bus allegedly used to transport one of the consignments.

Source: Free Press Journal

The first phase of the operation began on October 30, with raids in front of Hotel Brahma in Manikbaug and at Parvati Darshan. Two men were arrested in these raids — Amol Suresh Nikam, 47, a resident of Manikbaug on Sinhagad Road, and Yogesh Ramdas Naik, 45, a resident of Parvati Darshan — and officials seized various brands of Goa-made foreign liquor and vehicles from them. A court remanded both men to four days of custody, the report said.

Source: Free Press Journal

Questioning of the first two suspects gave officials leads about the transport network behind the supply, and in the second phase, in the early hours of November 3, a team raided a spot in front of Hotel Ashray near Swargate. Two more men were arrested there — Ravi Shivappa Mane, 33, a resident of Gahunje near Dehu Road, and Karan Dnyanoba Gaikwad, 22, currently residing at the Shreevardhan Bus Depot in Raigad district — and a court remanded both to one day of custody.

Source: Free Press Journal

A case has been registered against the accused under Sections 65(a), 65(e), 81, 83 and 90 of the Maharashtra Prohibition Act, 1949. The operation was carried out under the guidance of Excise Commissioner Rajesh Deshmukh, Director Prasad Surve, Divisional Deputy Commissioner Sagar Dhomkar, Superintendent Atul Kanade and Deputy Superintendent (Pune City) Sujit Patil, according to the report. News18 Marathi's news bulletin also reported the Pune excise raid and the seizure of liquor and other material worth over Rs 69 lakh.

Source: Free Press Journal

The department has appealed to citizens not to buy liquor illegally brought in from other states and to purchase alcohol only from authorised liquor outlets. It has also asked people to share information about such illegal activity by calling 020-26127321. The charges against the four arrested men are yet to be tested in court.

Source: Free Press Journal