73,440 Goa-Made Liquor Bottles Worth ₹1.89 Cr Seized on Thane Highway

The Maharashtra Excise Department has seized 73,440 bottles of Goa-made Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) worth around ₹1.89 crore from a truck intercepted on the Panvel-Mumbra highway in Thane district, officials said on Friday.

The seizure was carried out on Wednesday evening based on a specific tip-off , Konkan Divisional Deputy Commissioner of State Excise Pradeep Pawar told PTI. The truck driver had claimed that the vehicle was transporting automobile spare parts , but a detailed inspection led officials to the concealed consignment of whisky bottles.

Authorities said the liquor was manufactured in Goa but was being transported illegally into Maharashtra. The bottles reportedly lacked batch numbers and MRP markings , and the consignment was not authorised for sale in the state, in violation of the Maharashtra Prohibition Act .

The driver has been booked under relevant provisions of the Act, and further investigation is underway to trace the supply chain and intended distribution network behind the shipment.

Officials have stepped up surveillance and enforcement against spurious and illegally transported liquor following a recent liquor tragedy in Pune that raised concerns over regulatory lapses and unsafe alcohol circulation.

The incident once again highlights the persistent challenge of interstate liquor smuggling , which is often driven by significant tax and pricing differences between states . Such disparities create incentives for illegal trade networks to move alcohol across borders, undermining state excise regimes and complicating enforcement efforts.