The flying squad of the state excise department on Monday raided a godown in Khar and seized 276 bottles of Real Seven Star, a brand of whiskey available in Goa for `69.50 a bottle. The godown owner and one of his employees have been arrested.
Officials said the duo would fill empty bottles of premium brand whiskies with the inferior whiskey and sell them off in the open market at a discount. Officials are now probing whether their clientele also included upmarket bars in the city.
In a joint operation between the Bandra unit of suburban excise department and the state flying squad, officials recovered 276 bottles packed in 24 boxes in a small godown located on the service road on the Western Express Highway of Khar (E).
“We had received a tip-off that illegal liquor was stored in the godown. Accordingly, we raided the place on Monday and seized the bottles. The bottles were procured from Goa. The 750ml bottles are sold in Goa for `69.50. We also recovered several empty bottles of premium whiskies sold in Mumbai,” said sub-inspector M.B. Chavan of the flying squad.
Mr Chavan said that they have arrested the owner of the godown Gulab Ahmed Raza and his employee Tuntun Singh and are currently interrogating them to ascertain their clientele. “Raza is a habitual offender and has been prosecuted in the past for similar offences. The modus-operandi is to bring cheap liquor from Goa and then fill them in bottles of premium whiskies and then resealing the lid. After this, it is sold it in the open market. The duo used to sell the bottles offering a discount and the person who would buy from them would get lured at the prospect of getting premium liquor at such discounted rates,” he said.