Excise police in Bihar's Nawada district uncovered an unusual method of liquor smuggling on Friday, 7 November, finding hundreds of litres of foreign liquor hidden in a secret chamber built into the roof of a Bolero.
The Bolero was stopped at the Govindpur excise check post, where the team found the vehicle suspicious. On examining the roof, officers found the hidden chamber and cut it open to recover the liquor inside.
The liquor was packed in tetra packs. Police said the smugglers had used the film Pushpa as their model, in which hidden chambers in vehicles were shown being used to smuggle sandalwood.
Two alleged smugglers arrested
Police arrested the Bolero driver and one more alleged smuggler. They were identified as Rohan Saw, a resident of Bokaro Steel City, and Mohammad Aslam, a resident of Jamua. The Bolero was coming from Jharkhand.
The liquor and the vehicle used for smuggling were seized. Legal action has been started against both arrested men, and police are investigating other aspects of the smuggling operation.
A vehicle that looked normal from outside
Investigators said the Bolero had been modified so that a secret space was created inside its roof. From outside, the vehicle looked completely normal, but its upper portion had been prepared to hide liquor.
Police said the consignment could easily have passed through if the excise team had not checked the vehicle closely. The alertness of the team at the check post led to the seizure.
Smugglers keep changing methods
Excise officials said liquor smugglers keep changing their methods, and attempts are being made to supply illicit liquor by creating hidden spaces in vehicles. Strict checking at check posts is defeating such attempts, they said.
Bihar has prohibition in force, and the excise department continues to seize illicit liquor at check posts across the state. The Nawada seizure is the latest in a series of such recoveries.
