Bootlegging Takes The Bullock Cart Way In Dry Bihar: Report

The confiscated bullock cart, along with the oxen and liquor, was presented before a special excise court, which ordered the oxen to be entrusted to someone for care.

Despite the seizure, the smugglers managed to escape.

Source : Getty

New Delhi: Despite Bihar being a 'dry state' since April 2016, residents continue to devise innovative methods to access alcohol. The latest discovery involves the use of bullock carts, adding to a long list of vehicles like tankers, tractors, trucks, buses, cars, and motorcycles uzed for smuggling liquor.

Excise officials in the Gopalganj district were taken aback when they intercepted a bullock cart suspected of carrying liquor bottles. Upon inspection, they found a significant quantity of Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) worth Rs 5 lakh concealed on the cart, a method of smuggling previously unseen in the region, reported Hindustan Times.

Despite the seizure, the smugglers managed to escape. The confiscated bullock cart, along with the oxen and liquor, was presented before a special excise court, which ordered the oxen to be entrusted to someone for care.

“We have recovered Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) worth Rs 5 lakh from the bullock cart. This is the first time we found this method of smuggling,” excise superintendent Amritesh Kumar Jha told Hindustan Times.

“The bullock cart, the oxen, and the seized liquor were produced before the special excise court on Thursday and the court directed that the oxen be handed over to someone to be taken care of,” the official added.

As per the Hindustan Times report, previously, smuggled liquor was discovered hidden in various vehicles and containers, including trucks, tankers, ambulances, milk canisters on motorcycles, and oil tanks, as well as being transported via trains and boats.

Bihar's prohibition on the sale and consumption of alcohol, including IMFL, has prompted individuals to resort to creative and unconventional means to circumvent the ban.