The Haryana excise and taxation division has launched shock inspections of retail liquor vends throughout town after excise officers recovered 3,921 cartons and 176 free bottles of imported international liquor, valued at round ₹10 crore, from a licensed premises earlier this month.
The seized inventory was allegedly saved and offered with out necessary excise holograms, track-and-trace strips or tax fee, elevating considerations about systemic violations throughout the licensed retail community, officers stated.
“For the primary time, retail liquor vends are being inspected by shock checks performed by DETCs from different districts. Earlier, enforcement focus was largely on wholesalers. Now, stores are additionally beneath the scanner. Inventory is being bodily verified, documentation cross-checked and general operations examined to make sure no criminality is being carried out,” Amit Bhatia, deputy excise and taxation commissioner, stated.
In response to officers, excise officers from different districts are being deployed to forestall native familiarity, affect or prior info leaks. These groups are finishing up unannounced inspections throughout a number of city pockets, together with high-consumption zones comparable to Gurugram, Faridabad and elements of NCR-adjacent districts.
“Each bottle is being examined — its origin, hologram, track-and-trace code and inventory information. Any discrepancy is handled as a severe offence. Bottles missing necessary excise markers are being seized on the spot,” Bhatia stated.
In the meantime, the state authorities has additionally constituted a particular committee comprising senior excise officers and police representatives to supervise real-time surveillance, random inspections, data-driven inventory evaluation and coordinated motion throughout districts.
“The thought is to interrupt the consolation zone. Retail vends can now not assume inspections. That is about restoring credibility to the excise system and defending state income,” Bhatia added.
Officers stated the seized liquor included premium imported manufacturers, some retailing between ₹5,000 and ₹1.5 lakh per bottle, indicating high-value tax evasion. Investigations are underway to hint monetary trails, provider networks and doable complicity of licence holders.
