Mohali: In a crackdown on liquor smuggling, the excise department, in coordination with Zirakpur police, seized 140 cartons of illicit liquor allegedly being transported from Chandigarh for illegal sale in Punjab. A truck driver was arrested during the operation conducted near Zirakpur.Acting on a tip-off, excise and police teams intercepted a canter truck bearing a Faridabad registration number on the Chandigarh-Zirakpur road. During the inspection, officials found that QR codes on the liquor bottles had allegedly been tampered with, while holograms had been affixed to facilitate illegal distribution and evade regulatory checks.The driver, identified as Aman, a resident of Panipat in Haryana, was detained for questioning. An FIR has been registered under relevant provisions of the Punjab Excise Act.Officials said the seized consignment was meant for illegal sale in Punjab and could have caused significant revenue loss to the state exchequer. Further investigations are under way to identify others involved in the smuggling network and determine whether the case is linked to an interstate racket.
