Jalgaon excise department seizes ₹2.59 crore of illicit liquor in six months; beer sales up 29%

Jalgaon: The Jalgaon office of the state excise department registered 1,166 cases against illicit liquor between April and September, acting against 956 suspects and seizing goods worth ₹2,59,13,227. Superintendent Pradeep Pote gave the figures on Friday, October 9, while reviewing the half-year's work.

Seizures in the period included 5,37,790 litres of fermented wash, 21,381 litres of illicitly distilled liquor and 3,196 litres of toddy. In the same period last year, goods worth about ₹1.81 crore were seized in 1,040 cases involving 1,014 suspects, so performance had improved this year, Pote said.

On sales, about 59.29 lakh litres of country liquor were sold in the district between April and September, 3.18% more than last year. Beer sales rose from 43.70 lakh litres to 56.49 lakh litres, an increase of 29.27%.

Sales of foreign liquor, however, fell by 40.30%, from 33.80 lakh litres to 20.18 lakh litres, which was attributed to higher taxes putting buyers off.

Source: Free Press Journal