Police seized seven mini-trucks carrying foreign liquor from the official store of the excise department in Bankura’s Bhadul village after a group of residents detained the vehicles claiming that the bottles were being pilfered late on Monday night.
The villagers alleged that the liquor-laden vehicles had posters of essential commodities such as vegetables and rice pasted on them.
“We seized seven trucks full of liquor bottles on Monday night and started a probe,” said Bankura police chief Koteswara Rao.
Soumya Sengupta, the excise superintendent of Bankura, however, did not take several calls. But a source put the price of seized liquor at Rs 30 lakh.
“I found a vehicle with ‘vegetables’ sticker on it but it was loaded with liquor bottles. I informed the villagers and found there were more than six vehicles coming out of the excise godown. We waylaid the vehicles and informed the police,” said villager Sadhan Brahmachari.
The villagers alleged that though off-shops were closed, liquor was available in the market at a higher price.
“The sale of liquor is completely banned because of the lockdown but people are buying bottles at higher price. We think the government is secretly supplying liquor,” said a villager.
The drivers of the vehicles said that they had legal papers to carry the consignment and were doing it on the direction of the authorities.
“The government issued the chalan and we are carrying liquor with proper permission. We are not doing anything illegal,” a driver said.
The BJP has demanded a probe into the transportation of liquor from government storage. “We demand a probe as we suspect there is a big scam as the government has increased taxes on liquor by 30 per cent and there is racket selling liquor secretly to get benefit,” said Subhas Sarkar, BJP MP from Bankura.
Trinamul leaders, however, said the police would look into the matter.
“I don’t know what actually happened but whatever is done has to be done legally,” said Subhasish Batabyal, the Bankura Trinamul president.