Lucknow: In a major crackdown on liquor smuggling, the Uttar Pradesh Police and Excise Department seized 7,776 tetra packs of illegal liquor worth around ₹18 lakh from smugglers coming from Rajasthan. The incident took place late Wednesday night near Uttaretiya underpass on Kisan Path, on the outskirts of Lucknow.
Acting on a tip-off, a joint team of the police and excise officials intercepted a Mahindra pick-up truck that appeared to be carrying empty vegetable crates. But hidden behind these crates, they found 162 boxes of Royal Classic Whiskey, amounting to 1,400 litres of illegal liquor.
Two men — Sonu Bagaria (25) and Sitaram Bagaria (19), both residents of Khudiala village in Jaipur, Rajasthan — were arrested. They were using a fake Uttar Pradesh number plate (UP80HR5336) to conceal the vehicle’s true identity. The truck was actually registered in Rajasthan (RJ47GA2782).
According to the accused, the liquor was headed for Bihar, a state where liquor is banned due to prohibition. They revealed that they had been part of this interstate smuggling network for the past 7–8 months. For each trip, they were paid ₹7,000 by a man named Kamal Sharan, who also arranged the vehicle and alcohol supply. Once in Bihar, the liquor was supposed to be handed over to a man named Lalu Ram, who is currently missing.
Excise inspector Ram Shyam Tripathi said the smugglers had even scraped off the MRP from the liquor packs so they could sell it at inflated prices in Bihar, where black market prices are often three times the original rate.
This was the second major seizure within just four days. Earlier on July 19, officials had seized over 14,000 liquor bottles worth ₹30 lakh hidden under construction material from a truck near Kabirpur village on Sultanpur Road.
Deputy Excise Commissioner Rakesh Kumar Singh confirmed that a case has been registered under the Bhartiya Nyay Sanhita and the Excise Act, and both arrested men have been sent to jail. Police are now searching for the vehicle’s owner, Pradhan Bagaria, and the main handler Kamal Sharan.
