Patna: The very women Chief Minister Nitish Kumar sought to protect with his stringent 2016 liquor ban are now finding themselves on the front lines of the state’s thriving black market. Initially championed as a move to curb domestic violence and ensure women’s safety, the prohibition has inadvertently created a new and vulnerable demographic of smugglers.
Despite the ban, the flow of alcohol into Bihar from neighboring states like Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, and West Bengal remains relentless, fueled by sophisticated mafia networks. Exploiting a loophole in societal perceptions, these criminal enterprises are increasingly using women to transport their contraband. The logic is grimly simple: women are less likely to arouse suspicion from law enforcement.
However, this tactic is now under scrutiny as arrests of women involved in liquor smuggling have become alarmingly frequent. In a recent incident near the Labha railway station in Katihar district, police apprehended six women attempting to smuggle 38 liters of foreign liquor and 21 liters of beer concealed on their bodies. The women had ingeniously taped the alcohol beneath their clothing, including sarees and burqas, in a bid to evade detection while crossing the border from West Bengal.
This is not an isolated case. Last month, another woman in Katihar was caught employing the same method, using her traditional attire as cover for the illegal cargo. Similarly, in Lakhisarai, three women were arrested just last Sunday with a significant haul of 66 liters of liquor.
The trend extends beyond border regions. In Muzaffarpur, three women were recently intercepted on a train arriving from Uttar Pradesh with illegal alcohol. Adding another layer to the problem, six women from Bihar were arrested in Chandauli, Uttar Pradesh, last week while attempting to transport 86 liters of liquor back into their home state. Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay Nagar Junction (formerly Mughalsarai) has also become a hotspot, with over a dozen women from Bihar caught in April alone trying to smuggle liquor sourced from within the state.
The desperation driving these women into such perilous activities was starkly revealed by Chotu, an arrested liquor smuggler in Bhagalpur. He confessed to police that he routinely dispatches women to Jharkhand to procure liquor and utilizes them for local home deliveries, highlighting the extent to which women have become integral, albeit unwilling, cogs in the illegal alcohol trade.
