Liquor hidden in milk tanker: UP Police busts smuggling racket in Mau

Mau (UP), Jun 13 (PTI) Two people were arrested for using a milk tanker with a concealed compartment to transport alcohol illegally from Uttar Pradesh to Bihar, police said here Friday.

The consignment, worth over Rs 10 lakh, was intercepted by Mau police on Friday near the Gorakhpur-Varanasi Highway during a special checking drive, they said.

Inside what appeared to be an ordinary milk tanker, police discovered 173 cartons of country-made liquor and eight cartons of whisky pouches, officials said.

Superintendent of Police Elamaran G, speaking at a press conference, said, "This is a major breakthrough for the Mau police. The liquor was hidden inside a modified compartment of a milk tanker. Our FSO team and Kotwali police acted swiftly on a tip-off and seized liquor worth more than Rs 10 lakh near Harua." She added that the liquor was picked up from Ghazipur and was being smuggled into Bihar, a state where alcohol is prohibited.

"When we scanned the barcodes on the pouches, we traced the origin to shops in Ghazipur," the SP said.

"From the outside, the tanker looked like it was carrying milk or other dairy items, but the internal structure had a hidden chamber designed to transport liquor." Two men from Bihar's Buxar district, who were accompanying the consignment, were arrested on the spot. The vehicle's driver managed to flee and is currently being traced, police said.

Mau in eastern Uttar Pradesh borders Bihar, where assembly polls are due later this year. PTI COR KIS RHL