Bettiah: A pantry car is expected to carry meals and refreshments, not bottles of illicit liquor. But in Bihar, where prohibition has been in force for over a decade, a routine railway pantry became the latest stop in an alleged liquor smuggling operation. What should have been a carriage serving tea and snacks instead landed on the radar of railway police.Acting on a tip-off, a joint team of the Railway Protection Force (RPF) and the Government Railway Police (GRP) seized over 46 litres of illicit Indian-made foreign liquor (IMFL) from the pantry car of the 12558 Sapt Kranti Express on Monday and arrested the pantry car manager. The recovery was made at Narkatiaganj railway station after the train reached around 7.30am.The operation was carried out by RPF ASI Kamlesh Kumar, GRP constable Upendra Kumar, posted at the Bagaha Crime Centre under GRP Narkatiaganj, and other RPF personnel.The arrested man was identified as Ajay Kumar Sah (42), son of the late Binda Sah and a resident of Ward No. 19, Hardiya Chowk under the Shikarpur police station in West Champaran district.Following the seizure, the accused was produced at the GRP station in Narkatiaganj along with the confiscated liquor, seizure memo, arrest documents and a written complaint. Further legal proceedings are under way.Railway DSP Rajesh Kumar said, “The RPF and GRP are continuously conducting operations against liquor smuggling and other criminal activities within railway premises. Acting on specific intelligence, the joint team recovered a significant quantity of illicit liquor. The accused is being interrogated to ascertain the source of the consignment and its intended destination. Strict action will continue against those using the railway network for illegal activities.”
