Hyderabad: Two men from Ibrahimpatnam allegedly transformed their weekend casino trips to Goa into a lucrative illegal liquor operation, smuggling non-duty-paid alcohol into Hyderabad and selling it to customers for substantial profits.
However, the Excise Special Task Force (STF) A & B Teams busted the racket early on Tuesday, July 28, seized 98 bottles of non-duty-paid liquor worth around Rs. 2 lakh, and impounded the car used for transportation.
According to Excise STF officials, the accused, identified as Kuntimalli Srinivas, a grocery trader, and P.V.V.S. Ramakrishna, both residents of Ibrahimpatnam, frequently travelled to Goa by air during weekends. After spending time at casinos, they allegedly purchased liquor bottles in Goa and brought them back to Hyderabad on return flights.
The duo is accused of selling the liquor to customers visiting the grocery shop and to people organising private functions, making illegal profits from the non-duty-paid liquor.
Acting on specific intelligence, the Excise STF A & B Teams conducted vehicle checks near Pahadi Shareef, close to Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, in the early hours of Tuesday.
During the operation, officials intercepted the accused’s car and recovered 42 liquor bottles. Further inspections of other vehicles led to the seizure of 56 more bottles, taking the total haul to 98 non-duty-paid liquor bottles.
The vehicle used for transporting the liquor was seized. The bottles and the car were handed over to the Shamshabad Excise Station for further legal action.
STF Team Leaders Vishnumurthy and Fayazuddin said the total value of the seized liquor was estimated at around Rs. 2 lakh.
The operation was carried out under the supervision of STF A & B Team Inspectors M.P.R. Chandrasekhar and Bhiksha Reddy, along with Sub-Inspectors Sai Kiran Reddy, Bharat, Balaraju, and other staff.
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