80,000 litres of ethanol seized in Bathinda
In a major crackdown on illicit liquor, the Punjab excise department seized 80,000 litres of ethanol being allegedly transported illegally in two trucks in Bathinda and arrested eight individuals.
Those arrested included four from Bathinda, two from Uttar Pradesh, and two from Nepal, and they were being interrogated by officials of the excise department and the police, said excise minister Harpal Singh Cheema.
The two trucks bearing Gujarat registration numbers, and two cars and one SUV were also seized.
The minister said the accused have been charged under various sections of the Excise Act, and Section 316 (breach of trust) and 125 (endangering human lives) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
He said the quantity of ethanol seized from the two trucks could have been used to produce approximately 3,75,000 bottles of country-made liquor, 2,50,000 bottles of English liquor, or 1,10,000 bottles of sanitiser.
Cheema warned that those involved in manufacturing or sale of illegal liquor will not be spared. 'Strict action will be taken against everyone involved,' he said, urging manufacturing illegal liquor to shut down their operations immediately or face stringent legal consequences, including imprisonment. He also pointed out that some individuals smuggle ENA (Extra Neutral Alcohol) from Punjab to other states to produce liquor, while others manufacture and sell liquor within Punjab. 'Some misuse ethanol under the guise of producing sanitisers. Numerous such products are used as mediums for the misuse of ethanol,' he added. Cheema said in this particular case, ethanol was loaded at a factory located in Dinanagar, Gurdaspur. He said that excise officials are investigating the intended destination and purpose of the consignment.
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