Gr Noida liquor seizure: Transport firm's link emerges, 7 more held

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Noida: Seven more people were arrested on Wednesday from Greater Noida for their alleged link to an illicit liquor business that has been tracked to a transport company based in Noida, officials said.

Around 70 litres of rectified spirit (ethanol) and Rs 10-lakh cash were recovered from them during the arrest in Chhapraula under Badalpur police station area, a senior official said. The Gautam Buddh Nagar police had on February 23 seized 25,500 litres of illicit liquor worth Rs 1 crore and arrested 10 people during the raid at a godown in Greater Noida, in one of the biggest such seizures in Uttar Pradesh. A total of 17 people have been arrested so far in the case, the police said.

During probe, the police found out involvement of a Noida Sector 63-based transport company, which would carry liquor from distilleries but smuggle it and store it in their godown and then supply it further in Uttar Pradesh, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Vaibhav Krishna said.

"The seven people, including the owner of the transport firm, were arrested today (and) are associates of those arrested previously and are part of the illegal liquor business," the SSP said. "Two cans -- 40 litre and 30 litre -- of rectified spirit and Rs 10 lakh were seized from the accused. A Toyota Fortuner and a Honda City were impounded from them," the officer said.

The SSP said the company, which has been working for the past two years, was operating in Gautam Buddh Nagar for about six months. "They were also supplying liquor outside the state and were also engaged in hawala transactions. The company had an yearly turnover of crores of rupees, but this is not the first time they have come under the radar. Some of their trucks have been held earlier in districts like Shamli," he said. Those arrested have been booked under the Excise Act and the case is being investigated further, he added.

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