Liquor smuggling in Mahe on rise as Onam nears

KOZHIKODE: The police and excise departments have intensified searches and raids at the borders on both sides of Mahe as liquor smuggling from the union territory to various parts of the state has become rampant ahead of Onam. Police sources said the smugglers are using the help of tanker lorry drivers to smuggle liquor cases to deceive police and excise officials. Police and excise departments in Mahe are also co-operating with the state police and are planning to launch a drive in the coming days to control smuggling.

The excise department has seized and destroyed 212 litres of Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) from Mahe alone in the last 18 days.  Kozhikode Rural police chief N.N. Vijayakumar said told DC that the police was keeping vigil on the borders for effective tackling of smuggling. “Teams under the narcotics cell DySP have intensified raids in vehicles,” he said. “We have also deployed a police dog specialised in sniffing out liquor from vehicles.”

The excise department is conducting a special drive that started on August 10 in Kozhikode district. As of August 25, the team has conducted 366 raids and arrested 70 persons for liquor smuggling. It has seized 382 litres of Indian Made Foreign liquor (IMFL), 3,149 grams ganja and 1,764 litres wash.  Mahe police officials said they could not arrest anyone within their borders for carrying liquor but were tipping off Kerala police when they got information.  “We are also seizing liquor and taking action against people who are carrying it after business hours,” said a police official.

Residents to keep police informed

Some of the residents of Mahe have decided to patrol near liquor shops and inform the Kerala authorities about smuggling of liquor from the union territory to Kerala.  Though the liquor shops are in Mahe, most of the customers come from nearby Kannur and Kozhikode districts causing disruption in the lives of people in the union territory. Mahe with a population of approximately 41,000 people has 64 liquor outlets over a 9 square kilometre limit.

“We are suffering from the inflow of boozers from outside and they are posing a serious threat to the safety of our women and children, especially during late evenings,” said a resident. “That’s why we have decided to form a group and inform the police about people who smuggle liquor from here.”

The Mahe administration is taking steps to change its “boozer’s paradise” tag by curbing the timing of liquor vending and imposing restrictions during the festival. The administration has already reduced business hours from 8 am-11 pm to 9 am-10 pm from 2014. However, a complete ban on liquor is not likely to happen in Mahe as the administration is earning nearly '50 crore a year from the liquor sector alone.