Yogesh K Porwar
Officials of the Karnataka Excise Department have busted a major illegal spirit transportation racket operating under the guise of an oil tanker movement near Jamboti village in Khanapur taluk of Belagavi district.
Acting on a tip-off,excise officials intercepted a tanker and seized nearly 14,000 litres of spirit worth around Rs.35 lakh.
One accused has been taken into custody in connection with the case.
According to officials,the smugglers had devised a highly sophisticated method to evade detection.The tanker had been modified internally with small oil pipelines in three compartments,creating an impression that it was carrying regular oil consignments.
During routine inspection,the visible pipelines contained only oil,which initially misled authorities into believing it was a legitimate oil tanker.
However,acting on credible intelligence,excise officers conducted a deeper inspection and discovered that large quantities of spirit had been concealed around the pipelines inside the tanker.
Officials said they were shocked to uncover thousands of litres of illegally transported spirit hidden inside the vehicle.
Preliminary investigation revealed that the spirit was allegedly being transported illegally from Goa into Karnataka.
Authorities suspect the racket has links to a larger interstate network involved in illegal liquor-related activities.
Excise officials have launched a detailed probe to identify other accused involved in the operation and trace the kingpin behind the smuggling network.Further investigation is underway.
