{"id":48763,"date":"2025-08-31T17:52:06","date_gmt":"2025-08-31T12:22:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/punjabenews.com\/English\/?p=48763"},"modified":"2025-08-31T17:52:06","modified_gmt":"2025-08-31T12:22:06","slug":"excise-department-busts-premium-liquor-refilling-racket-and-seizes-illicit-alcohol-in-major-crackdown-harpal-singh-cheema","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/punjabenews.com\/English\/punjab\/excise-department-busts-premium-liquor-refilling-racket-and-seizes-illicit-alcohol-in-major-crackdown-harpal-singh-cheema\/","title":{"rendered":"Excise Department Busts Premium Liquor Refilling Racket and Seizes Illicit Alcohol in Major Crackdown: Harpal Singh Cheema"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Two Separate Operations in Ludhiana East Unearth Major Liquor Racket and Smuggling of Illegally-Sourced Liquor<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Punjab News:<\/span> In a decisive crackdown on the illegal liquor trade, the Punjab Excise Department conducted two major enforcement operations on August 30 in the Ludhiana East Range, leading to the unearthing of a premium liquor refilling racket and the seizure of a substantial consignment of illicit alcohol, including liquor smuggled into the state.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Disclosing the details in an official statement, Punjab Finance, Planning, Excise and Taxation Minister Advocate Harpal Singh Cheema said that the operations were executed swiftly based on specific intelligence inputs and under the direct supervision of Excise and Taxation Commissioner Jitendra Jorwal, along with other senior departmental officers. \u201cOur teams acted with precision to not only seize illegal stock but also to expose a new modus operandi where criminals are endangering public health by refilling premium bottles with low-quality liquor. This is a clear case of fraud and a serious threat to consumer safety, and we will not tolerate it,\u201d he asserted.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>In the first raid, enforcement teams, in coordination with local police, dismantled a sophisticated racket operating in Ludhiana. The accused were found refilling high-end imported liquor bottles\u2014brands including Glenlivet, Johnnie Walker Gold Label, and Chivas Regal\u2014with cheaper Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) and Punjab Medium Liquor (PML), with the intent to deceive consumers and evade excise duties. Two individuals, Amit Vij and Pankaj Saini, were apprehended at the scene. The authorities recovered 106 empty bottles, 39 refilled bottles, various bottling accessories, and seized a Swift Dzire vehicle. An FIR has been registered at Police Station Division No. 3, Ludhiana, and investigations are ongoing to trace the full extent of the network.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>In a separate operation conducted the same day, Excise officials intercepted Vikramjeet Singh in Village Burma (Samrala), who was found in possession of 60 bottles of illicit liquor labeled \u201cFor Sale in Chandigarh only.\u201d The consignment had been illegally smuggled into Punjab, prompting his immediate arrest. A case has been registered at Police Station Samrala under the relevant provisions of the Punjab Excise Act, 1914.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Reaffirming the Excise department\u2019s resolve, Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema emphasized that the Excise Department will continue its rigorous enforcement drives across the state to dismantle illegal supply chains and prevent the circulation of spurious and non-duty-paid alcohol. He highlighted that regular raids, surprise inspections, and coordinated inter-state operations will persist against bootleggers and smugglers. The Finance Minister also urged citizens to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity to the nearest Excise or Police authority, stressing that public cooperation is vital to eliminate the menace of illicit liquor from Punjab.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Two Separate Operations in Ludhiana East Unearth Major Liquor Racket and Smuggling of Illegally-Sourced Liquor Punjab News: In a decisive crackdown on the illegal liquor trade, the Punjab Excise Department conducted two major enforcement operations on August 30 in the Ludhiana East Range, leading to the unearthing of a premium liquor refilling racket and the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":48764,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22,19,20],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-48763","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-crime","category-latest","category-punjab"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.2 - 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