Excise squads step up vigil against sale of illicit liquor in Kozhikode

Striking squads formed to carry out raids on receiving confidential information

December 11, 2022 05:49 pm | Updated 05:49 pm IST - Kozhikode

In the wake of increased incidents of drug trafficking and illicit liquor brewing in the district, the Excise department has drawn up an action plan to crack down on the menace in view of the Christmas and New Year season. Striking squads are in action now within the limits of various Excise range offices to ensure 24x7 surveillance.

A district-level control room is functional now to receive calls from the public on illegal liquor brewing or drug smuggling. Apart from this, mobile phone numbers of senior officers have also been published for the easy exchange of confidential information.

“As usual, citizens who inform us about large-scale smuggling incidents or illicit liquor brewing will be eligible for the department’s reward. Their details will be kept confidential,” said a senior Excise department officer. He pointed out that Excise squads had carried out a number of surprise inspections based on reliable public alerts.

Sources said the suspected shipping of Indian Made Foreign Liquor from Mahe misusing fishing boats would also be brought under check with the support of plainclothesmen. They said arrangements were in place to track such gangs on the spot with the support of local fishers and residents.

Like in the previous years, surprise inspections with the support of police and Railway Protection Force would be initiated to check the movement of illegal consignments carrying narcotic substances.

On the Kozhikode-Kannur national highway, there will be flash inspections on inter-district buses. A separate squad will be deployed to carry out highway patrol during the special drive.

Top News Today

Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.