Karnataka Seizes Beer Worth ₹ 98.52 Crore, Over 1 Crore Litres Confiscated

In a significant pre-election move, the Karnataka Excise department has seized liquor worth ₹98.52 crore from Chamarajanagar constituency in Mysuru Rural district, as confirmed by the Election Commission (EC). This seizure comes as part of the preparations for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.

Accompanying this substantial liquor seizure, the Income Tax (I-T) department and the Static Surveillance Team (SST) have also been active in seizing cash. The I-T department seized ₹2.20 crore from Bengaluru North parliamentary constituency, while the SST seized ₹35 lakh cash during checks in Gulbarga constituency in Kalaburagi district and another ₹45 lakh in Udupi-Chikkamagaluru constituency.

The Election Commission reported that a staggering 1.22 crore litres of beer, valued at ₹98.52 crore, was seized from Chamarajanagar on Thursday, emphasizing the scale of the operation.

The Lok Sabha elections in Karnataka are scheduled to be held in two phases on April 26 and May 7, adding urgency to such enforcement actions.

Prior to these recent events, the Karnataka Excise Department made a significant recovery of illicit liquor worth ₹98.52 crore from a unit of United Breweries in Mysuru district. This operation was conducted based on a tip-off received by the district collector and district election officers, leading to a raid on the brewery unit in Nanjangudu taluk on April 2.

Speaking on the matter, Deputy Commissioner of Excise, Nagashayana, stated, “On April 2, Illicit Liquor worth ₹98.52 crore was recovered from the unit of United Breweries Limited in the Tandya industrial area of Immavu village, Nanjangudu taluk under the jurisdiction of Lok Sabha constituency.”

He further added, “A case has been registered against the brewery unit after confiscating the worth of illegal liquor. According to an anonymous phone call received at the District Election Officer’s office on Tuesday, District Collector and District Election Officers visited the brewery unit.”

These coordinated efforts by the Karnataka Excise Department, Income Tax department, and the SST underscore the commitment to maintaining the integrity of the electoral process and preventing the misuse of liquor and cash during the election period. Such operations aim to ensure a fair and transparent electoral environment for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls in Karnataka.