Ahead of the upcoming Diwali festivities, excise department officials delivered a significant blow to illegal liquor supply chains operating in Bihar by intercepting a major consignment in Muzaffarpur. Acting on targeted intelligence, enforcement teams conducted an operation along the Narayanpur Industrial Area Road located in Bela Phase 2, seizing a Punjab-registered cargo vehicle. A thorough inspection of the vehicle uncovered around 1200 cartons of illicit foreign liquor, estimated to carry a market valuation of nearly Rs 1 crore. The driver behind the wheel was apprehended on the spot, triggering an ongoing probe into the inter-state smuggling nexus.
Paper Bags and Cotton Scraps Used to Mask Illicit Load
Bootleggers orchestrated an elaborate concealment method specifically tailored to bypass police checkpoints and border inspections along the transit route. Inside the truck bed, bags filled with waste paper scraps and cotton fragments were piled high across the upper layer. To any casual inspector, the consignment appeared to be routine industrial scrap and packaging material. Beneath this dense layer of waste bags, 1200 cartons containing foreign liquor were tightly stacked and hidden from plain sight. The smugglers anticipated that the disguise would ensure a smooth arrival at destination depots, but rigorous verification by the enforcement squad completely dismantled the ruse.
Precision Strike Executed on Narayanpur Industrial Road
The excise department received confidential operational intelligence indicating that a heavy shipment of foreign liquor had departed from northern India inside a Punjab-registered truck heading for Muzaffarpur. Based on this intelligence, authorities formed a dedicated enforcement team supervised by ASI Neeraj Kumar Singh. The team moved swiftly to Bela Phase 2 along Narayanpur Road, where they identified the targeted commercial vehicle parked quietly by the roadside. The driver was present alongside the truck, allowing officials to cordon off the perimeter and secure both the individual and the cargo without delay.
Rigorous Interrogation Revealed Secret Compartment Beneath Bags
When questioned initially, the truck operator attempted to mislead investigators by claiming that the vehicle was ferrying ordinary commercial transport inventory. However, upon being subjected to sustained questioning regarding transport papers and waybills, he admitted that the interior was loaded with illicit liquor. The enforcement squad promptly unsealed the cargo rear doors. While the entry revealed only stacked gunny sacks filled with shredded waste paper, removing the top layer uncovered crate after crate of foreign liquor, surprising even seasoned enforcement personnel on the scene.
Driver Contracted From Punjab for Rs 10000 Delivery Fee
The arrested operator has been identified as Manpreet Singh, a native of Khamanol in the Fatehgarh district of Punjab. During his interrogation, Singh confessed that he had hauled the illicit cargo across several state lines directly from Punjab to Muzaffarpur. The consignment was slated for distribution across multiple drop-off points in the district. Singh had received explicit instructions to stage the truck in the Bela industrial pocket, where local syndicate heads were supposed to arrive, take charge of the vehicle, and orchestrate final unloading. For transporting the high-risk shipment, Singh had been promised a fee of Rs 10,000.
Intensive Hunt Underway to Nab Local Syndicate Kingpins
Excise Inspector Prakash Kumar Ram stated that timely actionable intelligence enabled the squad to intercept the Punjab-registered vehicle and prevent a massive quantity of contraband from entering the local market. Officials are currently cataloguing the recovered bottles and cross-verifying brands. A formal case has been registered against Manpreet Singh under relevant prohibition provisions to send him to judicial custody. Simultaneously, investigators are utilizing interrogation leads to identify the primary buyers and local distribution handlers in Muzaffarpur to carry out targeted raids for their arrest.
