Overview
- A State Excise flying squad stopped a container truck at Shilphata Circle in Thane on Friday and recovered 403 boxes of liquor valued at about Rs 17 lakh.
- Officials said the haul included 393 boxes of country liquor and 10 boxes of foreign liquor that were manufactured in Goa and meant for sale only there.
- Investigators found fake invoices declaring the cargo as "recycled plastic scrap," a tactic used to misdeclare goods and evade excise checks.
- One suspect, identified as Noor-Mohazzam Mohammad-Anwar Siddiqui, was arrested and the Thane excise unit has opened a probe to trace the wider supply chain.
- The seizure follows other recent interceptions from neighbouring territories and highlights how differences in state excise rules and taxes drive diversion of Goa-only liquor into Maharashtra.