Monday | May 26 2025 | 03:57:45 AM
New Delhi, May 1
Directorate of Enforcement (ED) has conducted search operations at 13 premises belonging to different liquor contractors in the state of MP at Bhopal, Indore, Mandsaur and other cities.
During the course of search operations, Indian currency to the tune of Rs. 7.44 Crore were seized and account balances in the bank accounts totaling to Rs. 71 Lakh and bank lockers were frozen. Also, various incriminating documents and documents pertaining to immovable properties were also found and seized during the searches, ED stated.
ED initiated investigation in the matter on the basis of an FIR registered at Raoji Police Station, Indore under various sections of the IPC, 1860 against the liquor contractors, for causing a loss to government revenue to the tune of Rs. 49.42 crores through forgery and manipulation of treasury challans, and for unlawfully obtaining a No Objection Certificate (NOC) for the acquisition of liquor during the period FY 2015 -16 to FY 2017-18.
ED investigation revealed that accused liquor contractors used to prepare challans of small amounts and deposit them in the bank. In the prescribed format of the challan, “Rs. in figures” and “Rs. in Words” were written. The value was filled in figures; however, blank space was left after “Rs. in Words”. After depositing the amount, the depositor would later write the increased amount in the form of lakh thousand in the above-mentioned blank space, and copies of the so-called challans of such increased amounts would be submitted at the respective country liquor warehouse or at the district excise office in case of Foreign Liquor. By presenting it to the officer at country liquor warehouse or at District Excise Office, Indore and depositing the amount as liquor duty/Basic License Fee/Minimum Guarantee, NOC was obtained against the demand for supply of liquor or annual license fee/Basic License Fee/Minimum Guarantee used to go.
