The Indian Railways unknowingly transported more than 1,000 litres of illegal liquor worth over Rs 60 lakh to Bengaluru through a freight train. The consignment was detected on Thursday when the Railway Protection Force (RPF) recovered the parcel from Yeswanthpur railway station.
How the Illicit Liquor Was Discovered
The incident came to light after the Delhi police alerted the RPF’s Bengaluru division, suspecting illegal transport of liquor. This followed a case registered on May 18 at the national capital’s Mehrauli police station. Acting on the tip-off, RPF personnel at Yeswanthpur were called to inspect a parcel special express that had arrived from Okhla in Delhi around 9:30 pm.
Joint Operation by RPF and Excise Department
Officials from the state excise department also arrived at the Yeswanthpur Railway Yard. During a detailed check, several cartons containing liquor bottles were found in the parcel coaches. In total, 74 cartons containing 1,118 liquor bottles of various brands were seized. According to the RPF, the total quantity of liquor seized was approximately 1,042 litres. The state excise department has taken the seized liquor into custody.
Investigation Underway
The firm alleged to have transported the liquor, AVG Logistics, has been served a notice to appear before the excise department. A senior RPF officer stated, “We are yet to ascertain the actual reason as the parcel van was leased out by South Western Railway (SWR) to the logistics firm. The investigation is ongoing.”
Context of Liquor Seizures
For context, liquor seizures from trains have been comparatively low in 2025-26. RPF data shows that in 2025-26, liquor worth Rs 2.3 lakh was seized by the RPF’s Bengaluru division. This recent seizure is significantly larger in scale.
