18,554 cases of Excise offences registered in Telangana, 8,182 persons arrested between January to June 2024

Telangana Excise department cracks down on excise offences, arrests thousands, and boosts revenue with effective measures.

Telangana Excise department has detected 18,554 cases of various excise offences and arrested 8,182 persons between January 1 and June 30 this year.

The department has intensified its raids in coordination with the Revenue and Police departments to effectively plug leakages to Government revenue. As a result, it has registered an impressive revenue of ₹8,973 crore including VAT in the first quarter of the current financial year.

The Excise department, in its outcome budget for 2024-25, said special drive had been taken up against illicit distillation of liquor, smuggling of liquor from across the borders, ganja transportation & sale and drugs transportation & sale. In all, 14,652 cases of illicit distillation were detected and 6,884 persons arrested with seizure of 73,258 litres of illicit liquor and destruction of 45.73 lakh litres of fragmented jaggery wash.

And, 2,599 cases of illegal toddy sale and 13 cases of toddy adulteration were registered and 746 kg of raw chloral hydrate, 15,49 litres of adulterated toddy and 19.67 lakh litres of illegal toddy were seized and destroyed. The department seized 5,505 bulk litres of non duty paid liquor during the period while 3,118 kg of ganja was recovered leading to booking of 549 cases and arrest of 832 persons.

“Cultivation of ganja has come down drastically on account of effective raids conducted and 5,556 habitual offenders were bound over,” the department said. In respect of infrastructure, the outcome budget said administrative sanction was accorded for construction of 97 excise station buildings and works on 51 stations had been taken up. Of these, 19 stations were completed and 31 were in different stages of construction.

The department said the Holographic Excise Adhesive Labels were affixed on liquor bottles with track and trace system. This was the first of its kind in the country aimed at effectively preventing circulation of non duty paid liquor and for inventory management.