A major smuggling operation has been uncovered in Gurgaon, where a consignment of 4,000 cartons of imported liquor, valued at over Rs 10 crore, was illegally diverted from a government Customs warehouse directly to a retail wine shop, completely bypassing the payment of Customs duty worth crores of rupees.
Supply Chain of Smuggled Foreign Liquor Exposed
A special investigation team (SIT) of the Gurgaon police, probing the case, has mapped the illicit supply chain. The foreign liquor, which had not paid any tax, flowed straight from the Inland Container Depot (ICD) in Garhi Harsaru to the retail shelves. Officials revealed that the consignment was officially documented as being dispatched from the ICD to a private bonded warehouse. However, it was diverted en route and delivered directly to a shop named 'The Theka' near Signature Towers.
Investigators have found that this was not a one-off incident. Similar patterns of smuggling have been detected from Customs warehouses in Delhi, Faridabad, and Ghaziabad, pointing towards a widespread network that allegedly operated with the collusion of government officials. The Garhi Harsaru depot, a government-run Customs facility staffed by officials from dealing assistants to deputy commissioners, is now under intense scrutiny, with many employees suspected of involvement.
Arrests Made, Masterminds Remain at Large with Foreign Citizenship
On Monday, the police arrested the driver who delivered the illegal liquor to the shop last week. During his interrogation, while in police custody, he disclosed that the Garhi Harsaru warehouse had been a key hub for supplying untaxed liquor to wine shops not only across Gurgaon but also in neighbouring areas. Following this, the store manager and a co-owner of the shop were also taken into custody.
However, the masterminds behind the racket are still free. The most alarming revelation from the probe is the scale and audacity of the operation. According to sources, the primary accused have amassed crores of rupees over the past five years by evading Customs duties. They have allegedly channeled these illicit profits into acquiring assets abroad and have secured citizenship in countries like Canada, the UK, and Australia.
A city liquor trader, who exposed the racket, warned that many big players operate vends in the names of associates to stay off official records. He stated, "They have taken citizenship of other countries so that if need arises, they can disappear." He urged authorities to seize the passports of suspects to prevent them from fleeing justice, calling it an extremely necessary step to break the racket's backbone.
Five-Year Flourishing Racket Caused Massive Revenue Loss
The complainant informed the SIT and the Customs department that this illegal liquor business had been flourishing unchecked for at least five years. Traders involved allegedly raked in crores in black money, causing massive losses to government revenue.
During the ongoing probe, the police have also identified two young men who operated the Garhi Harsaru warehouse and managed the ground-level supply for the kingpins. Their arrest is expected to shed more light on the final destinations and distribution network of the illegal consignments.
Lalit, the in-charge of Sector 40 police station, confirmed, "We have also arrested the driver who brought liquor from the govt warehouse to the shop. We will gather information about the supply chain by questioning him further. Action will be taken against him based on evidence that emerges during the investigation."
