KOZHIKODE: Gone are the days when liquor bottles were smuggled in trucks and autorickshaws. Excise officials say that now smugglers use luxury cars also to carry unauthorised liquor from Mahe. In 2016 alone, six such cases were reported, said excise deputy commissioner P.K. Suresh on Wednesday.
“The cars include Ford Ecosport and Mahindra Xylo. One of the vehicles was released to the owner temporarily and the rest are in various offices under our custody. There is a provision to release the vehicles to the owners until the procedures are over. Later, the department can decide whether to keep them or release them,” said Mr Suresh.
He added that in most cases, the government takes custody of the vehicles or the price fixed by the mechanical engineers has to be paid by the owner to the government. All the vehicles seized this year have registered owners. On Tuesday, 315 litres of Indian-made foreign liquor (IMFL) was seized from a car.
By taking IMFL in luxury cars, the smugglers try to evade checks, said the officials. However, they confirmed that there were other safer routes for the smugglers, especially through train. The crucial points for smuggling are said to be through cemetery road and Choodikkotta.
While taking the IMFL by train, they ensure that the boxes are covered with military clothes to avoid suspicion and the smugglers need not always stay near the bottles. More than liquor, narcotics are smuggled through trains, said the officials.
