Gurugram: SIT Cracks Multi-Crore Imported Liquor Smuggling Racket, Wine Shop Owner Arrested

Gurugram: The Special Investigation Team (SIT) has achieved a major breakthrough in a multi-crore imported liquor smuggling case with the arrest of a wine shop owner allegedly at the centre of the illegal trade. The accused, Ankush Goyal, was arrested from Narnaul in Haryana, officials confirmed on Saturday.

The arrest comes days after the Excise Department unearthed a massive cache of premium imported liquor that was being stored illegally in a warehouse located at Signature Tower, Gurugram, without payment of customs or excise duties.

Excise Department Raid Exposes Smuggling Network

Acting on specific intelligence inputs, a special team of the Excise Department conducted a raid on Tuesday and recovered 3,921 cases of foreign liquor and 176 bottles of premium imported brands from the warehouse. Officials said the market value of the seized liquor ranges from ₹1,500 to as high as ₹2 lakh per bottle, taking the total value of the seizure into several crores of rupees.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the liquor was imported illegally and concealed to evade statutory duties before being supplied to the retail market.

Use of Dummy Companies to Evade Customs Duty

During the probe, investigators discovered that the syndicate had floated at least 58 shell companies, commonly referred to as dummy customs-bond companies, which existed only on paper. These entities were allegedly used to divert imported liquor into the open market without clearing customs duties.

According to officials, the liquor was smuggled into India via sea routes and initially stored at government customs warehouses in Okhla and Gurugram. From there, it was clandestinely transported to private warehouses and distributed through retail channels.

SIT Probing Wider Nexus

The SIT is now probing the entire supply chain, including possible links with customs agents, transporters, and other retail vendors. Authorities have not ruled out further arrests as the investigation progresses.

Officials said the case highlights a well-organised and systematic smuggling operation, and strict legal action will be taken against all those involved in causing significant revenue losses to the government.