Motihari/Patna: In a show of intensified enforcement against the illegal liquor trade in Bihar, police in East Champaran district carried out two major operations in a single day, seizing foreign and Nepali liquor worth lakhs and arresting multiple individuals involved in smuggling. Despite the state’s stringent prohibition laws, the underground liquor network continues to find innovative means of smuggling.
On Tuesday, acting on a tip-off, Dumaria Ghat police station personnel set up a checkpoint near Semuapar on National Highway 27 after receiving intelligence that a large consignment of liquor was being transported in a dumper truck. During the late-night operation, police attempted to stop a suspicious dumper. However, the driver abandoned the vehicle under the cover of darkness and managed to escape. Upon inspection, officers discovered 93 cartons of foreign-made liquor concealed inside the vehicle. The estimated market value of the seized liquor is said to be approximately Rs 30 lakh.
In a separate operation the same day, Lakhaura police also acted on intelligence inputs and intercepted a group allegedly smuggling liquor from across the Nepal border. Three suspects were detained during the raid. A total of 210 litres of Nepali-made alcohol, along with a motorcycle and a mobile phone, were recovered during the search. The arrested individuals were questioned and later remanded to judicial custody.
East Champaran Superintendent of Police, Swarn Prabhat, confirmed both operations and issued a strong message against those engaged in the illicit trade. “We have resolved to root out every aspect of illegal liquor smuggling in the district. Each link in the supply chain will be identified and dismantled. Those involved will face the full force of the law,” he stated.
Bihar has enforced a total prohibition on alcohol since 2016, but cross-border trafficking and hidden supply chains have remained persistent challenges for law enforcement. These recent operations, however, signal a more aggressive crackdown aimed at disrupting the networks behind the trade
