NEW DELHI: The excise department of Delhi government has busted a gang of bartenders who were allegedly mixing cheaper liquor into high-end foreign brands and selling them to unsuspecting customers at discounted rates.
A team of the excise intelligence bureau (EIB) recovered nearly 150 bottles of premium foreign liquor and 20 empty bottles during the raids. Five people were also arrested by police, who were accompanying the excise officials, and three separate FIRs were registered in the case.
Those arrested included bartenders working on different resto-bars in the Capital. Officials said the accused bartenders had easy access to empty bottles of foreign liquor with barcoded labels. "They prepared a cocktail of cheaper whiskies purchased from Haryana and liquor of high-end imported brand having Delhi labels and sold them as foreign liquor," a senior excise department official said.
"The unsuspecting customers thought they were getting imported brands of foreign whiskies at a discounted rate and were fooled by them," another official added.
According to officials, EIB had specific inputs that a gang of persons involved in preparing, stocking and selling adulterated liquor was operating in the city. An EIB team, led by assistant commissioner of police Rajesh Meena, raided a shoe shop at Karol Bagh and two houses at Rani Bagh and Maidan Garhi. Raids were also conducted in Chhatarpur and Sarita Vihar areas where bottles of non-duty paid foreign liquor were recovered.
A person named Vikram Kumar was arrested from Karol Bagh and 69 bottles of high-end liquor were seized from him. Officials said the bottles were hidden in big shoe boxes.
His interrogation led to the arrests of Mohit and Jaipal from Maidan Garhi. Kumar had purchased the liquor from the duo. The team also recovered 23 bottles of premium foreign liquor, eight IMFL bottles and 20 bottles of a high-end liquor brand from them.
Kumar further revealed that he had stocked liquor at his friend's house in Ranibagh, which led to the recovery of another 19 bottles of foreign liquor.
