Baltana. June 19: In a joint operation on Wednesday, the excise department and local police recovered 41 bottles of Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) from a mattress shop in Baltana, uncovering a smuggling racket involving concealed alcohol shipments from Chandigarh.
The raid was conducted at Sethi Mattress Store, located in Golden State, Baltana, following a tip-off. Authorities found the liquor hidden inside mattresses, allegedly intended for illegal resale in Punjab.
“During the raid, we seized 17 bottles of Royal Stag and 24 bottles of McDowell’s No. 1,” said excise inspector Gurpreet Singh, who led the operation. “These brands are legally available only in Chandigarh and not licensed for sale in Punjab.”
According to officials, the store owner, Rupesh Sethi, a resident of Panchkula, had been purchasing liquor at cheaper Chandigarh rates and smuggling it into Punjab, taking advantage of the price difference.
“He is a habitual offender. To avoid detection, he would hide the bottles in mattresses before delivering them to his customers,” Singh added. The officer noted that the raid was part of a broader crackdown on liquor smuggling, initiated under instructions from senior excise officials.
Police have registered a case under relevant sections of the Excise Act and begun legal proceedings against Sethi. Authorities believe the operation has disrupted a small but persistent supply chain driven by inter-state price discrepancies.
