The Excise Department, Punjab, has seized around 80,000 litres of ethanol from two trucks during overnight raids in Bathinda, making eight arrests in a major crackdown on illicit liquor, state Finance and Excise Minister Harpal Singh Cheema said on Friday.
The trucks carrying ethanol bore Gujarat registration numbers indicating that the consignment originated from Gujarat, he said.
Additionally the department impounded two cars and an SUV linked to the case, Cheema said according to a statement.
Eight persons — four from Bathinda, two from Uttar Pradesh, and as many from Nepal — have been arrested and booked under stringent provisions of the law, which include the possibility of life imprisonment.
Both the Excise Department and the police are interrogating the accused, he added.
The minister said the quantity of ethanol seized could have been used to produce around 6,25,000 bottles of liquor, including 3,75,000 bottles of country-made liquor, or 1,10,000 bottles of sanitiser.
“If such a large quantity of liquor had been manufactured and distributed, it could have endangered thousands of lives,” Cheema said, calling the operation a significant achievement for the government.
He warned those involved in the manufacture or sale of illegal liquor to shut down operations immediately or face stringent legal action, including imprisonment.
The ethanol consignment was loaded at a factory in Dinanagar, Gurdaspur, and Excise officials are probing the intended destination and purpose, Cheema said.