The pandemic-induced intermittent lockdowns and local shutdowns in micro-containment zones leading to prolonged periods of closure of liquor outlets and bars seem to have spurred a thriving business of smuggling of Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) into Ernakulam district from outside Kerala.
Trains have emerged as the preferred mode of smuggling. The special squads of the Railway Protection Force (RPF) alone seized 155 bottles of IMFL in less than a month ago.
On July 23, the RPF seized 73 bottles of IMFL worth nearly ₹19,000 from a passenger from Puducherry. This was followed by successive seizures of another 32 and 50 bottles of IMFL in two separate incidents from as many passengers from Goa.
“Puducherry and Goa have emerged as hot destinations for the smuggling in of IMFL to Kerala on account of the low liquor prices, which guarantee considerable profit on selling them in the black market. The flow of liquor is considerably higher ahead of the festive season in view of the surge in consumption,” said RPF sources.
The two special squads operated by the RPF in Thiruvananthapuram and Ernakulam have proved quite effective in foiling liquor smuggling through trains.
Excise officials have also seized over 94 litres of IMFL through combined operations with the RPF. Frequent breaks in availability of liquor even after the lockdown on account of restrictions in micro-containment zones seem to have driven the market for smuggled liquor.
“There are places where liquor outlets have not opened for months even after the lockdown. Liquor is being smuggled in from Karnataka as well on account of the steep difference in prices between the two States,” a senior Excise official said.
While the smuggling in of liquor driven by profit motive thrives, there are also instances where people ignorant of rules bring in liquor from outside the State during the festive season.
In the absence of check-posts, detection of liquor smuggling remains a tough job for Excise officials who focus on inter-State buses and trains as the most potent smuggling modes, said the officer.
