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Excise dept raids restaurant at Kharar, seizes 88 cases of liquor meant for sale in Chandigarh
Excise Inspector Ashok Kumar said that the action was taken following a secret tip-off.
Seized liqour during raid at Kharar. (Express Photo)
In a major crackdown on the illegal liquor trade, the Punjab Excise Department Saturday conducted a late-night raid at Kharar and recovered 88 cases of liquor meant for sale in Chandigarh from a restaurant operating without a valid licence.
Excise Inspector Ashok Kumar said that the action was taken following a secret tip-off. Acting on the information, a team of the Excise Department carried out a raid at “Food Way 43 Restaurant” located on Landran Road at Kharar. The operation was conducted under the supervision of Ropar Range Assistant Commissioner Ashok Chalhohtra.
During the inspection of the premises, officials discovered a large quantity of liquor that was specifically labelled for sale in Chandigarh, which cannot legally be sold in Punjab without proper authorisation. The recovered stock included 41 cases of English whisky and 47 cases of beer, bringing the total seizure to 88 cases.
According to officials, the restaurant owner, Davinder Kumar Arora, was present at the spot during the raid and was immediately taken into custody. Preliminary questioning by the excise team revealed that the establishment had allegedly been serving and selling liquor to customers illegally for nearly a month without obtaining any valid licence or permit from the authorities.
When the officials asked the accused to produce the required permit or pass for storing and serving liquor, he failed to present any valid documents to justify the possession of such a large quantity of alcohol.
Following the recovery, the Excise Department registered a case against the accused under sections 61 and 68 of the “Punjab Excise Act, 1914” at Kharar City Police Station.
The officials stated that the raid was conducted under the directions of Punjab Excise Commissioner Jitendra Jorwal and the guidance of DC Excise (Patiala Zone) Khushdil Singh. The department reiterated that its drive against illegal liquor trade will continue, and strict action will be taken against anyone found violating excise laws.
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