Cheap Liquor, Premium Bottles: Ahmedabad DCB Busts Alleged ₹2.53 Lakh Racket
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Summarized by AI; it may make mistakes. Check important info
A 27-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly repackaging cheap liquor in empty bottles of premium brands and selling them at inflated prices in Ahmedabad. The Detection of Crime Branch (DCB), in coordination with Sarkhej police, uncovered the alleged operation and seized liquor, empty bottles, labels and other material worth ₹2.53 lakh.
The accused, identified as Samir Khan alias S K Bapu, allegedly collected discarded premium liquor bottles, refilled them with cheaper liquor and resealed them to make them appear genuine.
174 Sealed Bottles Seized
Police said Bapu was allegedly selling the refilled bottles at prices five to 10 times higher than the actual value of the cheaper liquor.
During the operation, officers seized 174 sealed bottles of Indian-made foreign liquor valued at ₹1.53 lakh. They also recovered:
- 96 beer cans
- 29 empty premium liquor bottles
- 63 branded bottle caps
- 53 branded labels
- Four tubes of Feviquick
- One mobile phone
The total value of the seized property was estimated at ₹2.53 lakh.
Alleged Racket Had Been Running For Four Months
According to police, Bapu had been involved in the alleged bottling operation for around four months.
During questioning, he allegedly told investigators that he obtained cheaper liquor from a wanted accused and sourced empty bottles of premium brands from other people.
The liquor was allegedly poured into the empty bottles before branded-style caps were fixed with adhesive. Labels were then attached to give the bottles the appearance of genuine premium products.
Police suspect the bottles were subsequently sold to customers at several times the price of the liquor actually contained inside them.
Investigation Underway To Trace Suppliers
A case has been registered at DCB police station under relevant provisions of the Gujarat Prohibition Act and Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
Police are now trying to identify the person who allegedly supplied the cheaper liquor and trace the sources of the empty branded bottles, caps and labels.
Bapu had also previously been arrested by Vejalpur police in connection with a prohibition case, according to police.
