A bag containing bottles of Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) smuggled from Madhya Pradesh was seized by Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel at the Thiruvananthapuram Central railway station here on Sunday.
Ninety-six bottles, each containing 90 ml of whiskey and bearing official stickers of Government of Madhya Pradesh, were found in the bag, which was seen lying on the platform, during an inspection by the RPF.
The confiscated items were handed over to the special squad of the Excise Department.
Excise special squad Circle Inspector T. Anikumar said the bag could have been abandoned by those who had smuggled the bottles on seeing the approaching RPF officials.
He added that there had been several instances in which small-sized bottles and sachets, containing liquor in small quantities like 30 ml and 60 ml, were smuggled from Goa and Mahe, it was for the first time that such items were being smuggled from Madhya Pradesh.
The bottles, on which price tags of Rs.45 have been stuck, could have been smuggled to be sold at higher rates. With the Assembly elections nearing, investigators fear that there could be the possibility of similar smuggling.
With liquor not sold legally in such quantities in the State, there is a demand for such items as they can be concealed with ease.
A bag containing 96 bottles of IMFL with Madhya Pradesh govt. seal found on platform.
