Noida: A 35-year-old man was arrested by Noida police and excise department on Tuesday for illegally supplying liquor made for sale in Haryana to customers in Noida.
The accused identified as, Anurag Bhatia, a resident of Sector 21 in Faridabad, operated his liquor delivery business through a WhatsApp group with all his customers. Cashing in on the lower tax rates on alcoholic beverages in Haryana, which in turn made alcohol more affordable, Bhatia smuggled Haryana liquor into Delhi-NCR.
The district excise officer (DEO), Subodh Kumar, said that the police acted based on a tip off a person would be visiting Noida Phase 2 area smuggling liquor from Haryana in a car.“We set up barriers and stopped a Haryana-registered car for checking. We found 40 beer bottles and 20 bottles of whiskey, all made for sale in Haryana only,” the DEO said.
During interrogation, Bhatia revealed that he has been running this business for the last two years with his supplier being a Faridabad-based liquor vendor. “His clients would directly place orders on the WhatsApp group,” Kumar said. Investigation revealed that Bhatia was booked for smuggling liquor in Noida last year, and has another similar case under sections of the Excise Act in Delhi.
The accused identified as, Anurag Bhatia, a resident of Sector 21 in Faridabad, operated his liquor delivery business through a WhatsApp group with all his customers. Cashing in on the lower tax rates on alcoholic beverages in Haryana, which in turn made alcohol more affordable, Bhatia smuggled Haryana liquor into Delhi-NCR.
The district excise officer (DEO), Subodh Kumar, said that the police acted based on a tip off a person would be visiting Noida Phase 2 area smuggling liquor from Haryana in a car.“We set up barriers and stopped a Haryana-registered car for checking. We found 40 beer bottles and 20 bottles of whiskey, all made for sale in Haryana only,” the DEO said.
During interrogation, Bhatia revealed that he has been running this business for the last two years with his supplier being a Faridabad-based liquor vendor. “His clients would directly place orders on the WhatsApp group,” Kumar said. Investigation revealed that Bhatia was booked for smuggling liquor in Noida last year, and has another similar case under sections of the Excise Act in Delhi.