648 liters of illegal liquor and ₹16 lakh cash seized in Siliguri

The Jalpaiguri Division Excise Department seized 648 liters of illegal Sikkim-manufactured liquor and ₹16 lakh in cash during an early morning operation on Tuesday. Acting on a tip-off, officials intercepted a Bolero and a pickup truck at Champasari Mahananda Bridge and found 72 cartons of liquor—62 in one vehicle and 10 in the other—hidden under vegetable crates. The estimated market value of the liquor is ₹16.2 lakh, and the total seizure, including cash, is ₹32.2 lakh. Four smugglers from Bihar—Ankit Kumar Maharaj, Anil Kumar Paswan, Ram Babu Paswan, and Arvind Kumar Singh—were arrested, and both vehicles were confiscated.

Excise Commissioner Sujit Das stated that the department had received intelligence about liquor smuggling from Sikkim to Bihar. "Based on the information, our team intercepted the vehicles and recovered the illegal liquor along with ₹16 lakh in cash," he said. The smugglers had concealed the liquor beneath vegetable crates to avoid detection during transportation. The officials suspect the cash was meant for further smuggling activities.

Authorities have launched an in-depth investigation to trace the liquor’s source and identify others involved in the smuggling operation. Officials are verifying whether this incident is linked to a larger interstate smuggling network. The arrested individuals are being interrogated, and further actions will be taken based on their statements and recovered evidence.