MBA graduate held in Bihar for supplying illicit liquor

An MBA graduate from a Noida-based personal college was arrested on the intervening evening of January 14-15 in Patna for supplying illicit liquor.

Atul Singh, 28, had employed over three dozen youths in his enterprise, the police mentioned

Over 1,100 litres of liquor value ₹21 lakh, a bag containing ₹1.75 lakh in money, a number of passbooks and paperwork associated to numerous financial transactions had been recovered from his three-bedroom lodging at Mahatma Gandhi Nagar beneath the Patrakarnagar police station in Patna.

“A diary seized from Atul’s possession revealed that he sold liquor worth ₹9 lakh daily in various parts of Patna. He supplied liquor of several brands, including Black Dog, Officer’s Choice, McDowell’s, Blenders Pride, Old Monk Rum, Kingfisher, Royal Stag, Imperial Blue, 8 PM and 100 Pipers. His delivery agents were unemployed youths,” mentioned Patrakarnagar police station in-charge Manoranjan Bharti. “He used to pay ₹500 to them after every delivery,” Mr. Bharti added.

Two of his associates, Indrajit Singh and Sanjiv Kumar, had been additionally arrested. Later, one other affiliate, Vishal Kumar, from Pandeypur-Tilhari village beneath Maner police station in Patna, was additionally arrested and despatched to 14-day judicial custody, he mentioned.

“All four have been booked under Section 13(A)/41 of the Bihar Prohibition and Excise (Amendment) Act,” Mr. Bharti added.

Atul Singh, initially from Alwalpur village in Patna district, allegedly informed the police that after finishing his MBA, he entered into the illicit liquor enterprise because it was the one enterprise “proliferating in Bihar”.

The stringent Prohibition and Excise Act in the State had come into impact in April 2016, beneath the Chief Minister Nitish Kumar-led authorities, with the supply of a minimal 10 yr jail time period for violators. However, the ban had opened a number of channels for smugglers to provide liquor in the dry State at charges that had been two-three occasions increased than the unique value. So far, over 2 lakh individuals, largely from the marginalised sections, had been arrested beneath the brand new legislation and over 30 lakh litres of alcohol had been confiscated in the State.

‘Hub for brokers’

Recently, the BJP MP from Aurangabad, Sushil Kumar Singh, had mentioned prohibition in the State was a failure and that police stations had turn out to be a hub for “brokers” concerned in the unlawful provide of liquor. “Despite prohibition, police stations have become a hub for brokers involved in the illegal business of selling liquor in the State. Police officials patronise the sale of illegal liquor in their respective areas and only those who are weak are falsely implicated under the law. Prohibition is a failure in the State,” he mentioned.

As many as 52 police officers in the State have been dealing with inquiries beneath the brand new legislation, whereas 36 of them have both been suspended or are dealing with departmental and administrative inquiries.

Of late, almost 80,000 policemen in Bihar had taken a vow to not drink alcohol and to “work to ensure the successful implementation of the prohibition laws in the State.” However, the most recent National Family Health Survey-5 for the yr 2019-20, which was launched on December 12, had revealed that 15.5% males above the age of 15 years nonetheless consumed alcohol in the State.