Amid probe into Rs 10-crore illegal foreign liquor racket, co-owner, manager of Gurgaon vend arrested

“Goyal holds 25% stake in the wine store along with two other partners. During questioning, he told police that the illicit imported liquor recovered from the shop had been stored there through him and his associates,” a police spokesperson said.

Goyal’s arrest came a day after the store’s manager, Ajay (26), was arrested on Thursday. Officers said efforts are underway to nab other partners. “The investigation is ongoing with authorities focusing on tracing the source of the smuggled liquor and arresting the other accused,” the spokesperson added.

An Excise department official said, “The imported liquor could be sold at very competitive rates due to price difference once the excise component is done away with. We are seeing if such bottles made their way to other vends too. So far, we have not found anything in that regard. Initially, we had been informed that some of the bottles were driven in from the Chandigarh side.”

On December 9, the Excise department received a tip-off about a large quantity of foreign liquor without holograms and track-and-trace strips being stored at the outlet operated by one Surender Singh, who is still absconding. A special team raided the premises and recovered 3,921 cases and 176 loose bottles of imported wine from two rooms.

Deputy Excise and Taxation Commissioner (Gurugram East) Amit Bhatia told The Indian Express on Wednesday that the revenue loss for the department can be pegged at over Rs 1 crore — around Rs 70 lakh in evaded excise duties and Rs 30 lakh in Value Added Tax (VAT). An inventory was prepared, and the matter was reported to the Sector 40 police station, which registered an FIR.