Canacona excise seizes liquor from pizza container at Polem

The Canacona excise team along with the seized liquor bottles at the Polem border Checkpost.

Photo Credits: Kathy Fernandes

CANACONA

A Canacona excise team at the Polem check post seized 98 bottles of various brands of liquor which were being smuggled out of the State in a Bangalore-based container which supplied pizza base to Goa.
The container was intercepted at Polem border check post by excise officers at about 12.30 am on Thursday, which was returning to Bangalore with 500 empty crates after supply pizza base brought to a reputed pizza outlet in Goa.
The excise team led by excise inspector Jayesh Bandekar stopped the vehicle and sought to know the contents in the container, after which the driver are asked to open up the container.
On closer examination, excise sleuths noticed one box which contained bottles of branded liquor.
On further examination, the officers stumbled upon more boxes hidden inside the empty pizza crates and also recovered some boxes of liquor from the driver’s cabin.
Besides Bandekar, Surjeet Nagvekar, Satish Tilve, Devesh Dessai, Audhumbar Pednekar, Prashish Chopdekar and Aniket Dessai were part of the excise team.
“In all, 98 bottles of branded IMFL liquor were found all valued at Rs 30,460 being illegally transported without any valid permit. The driver Mahesh Gouda is also arrested and further enquires are initiated,” said Superintendent of Excise Chandranath Dessai.
Speaking further, Dessai said given the impending elections in Karnataka, a strict 24-hour vigilance has been stepped up on the border check post at Polem.
“We have an inspector, two sub-inspectors among 18 staff posted at the Polem check post working in three batches/shifts providing a thorough round-the-clock on the infiltrators of liquor and other illicit transportations across the border.”
“Our staff checks almost all incoming and outbound vehicles. Excise Commissioner Narayan Gad has also given instructions for thorough checking of the illegal movements of liquor across the borders, either entering or leaving the border at Polem. Those found transporting liquor illegally or violating excise laws will be taken to tasks and strict action will be initiated against them,” said Dessai.
The driver told media persons that the container regularly makes two trips every week supplying pizza base from Bangalore to a reputed pizza outlet in Goa.
The driver claimed that this was the first time he had agreed to transport the liquor consignment illegally.
The driver revealed that a person from Navelim had put the liquor cases in his container, gave him Rs 5,000 for the transportation and informed him arrangements had been made to smoothly cross both the check posts of Polem-Canacona and Majali-Karnataka. He added that someone would then offload the liquor cases at Karwar.
Dessai admitted that while excise officers carry out inspections of vehicles, some vehicles may escape detections and are later caught at the Majali check post across the border by Karnataka excise teams.
“We do not have a proper gate, which is usually operated by police at the border post,” said Dessai.