Seven Arrested in Muzaffarnagar for Selling Cheap Liquor in Fake Premium Brand Bottles

Muzaffarnagar: Police have busted an alleged counterfeit liquor racket in which inexpensive alcohol was repackaged in bottles bearing labels of premium whisky brands and sold at higher prices. A joint team of Kotwali Nagar Police and the Special Operations Group (SOG) arrested seven suspects near Rampur Tiraha, beneath a railway overbridge, around 3 pm on Sunday.

Addressing a press conference at the City Kotwali, ASP Siddharth K. Mishra said the accused allegedly purchased empty bottles of premium brands, including Jameson, Black Label and Red Label, from scrap dealers. They then filled the bottles with cheaper liquor and used counterfeit labels and packaging materials to make the products appear genuine.

Counterfeit packaging and equipment seized

Police recovered 210 bottles filled with liquor, 99 empty bottles, 398 caps and four labels from the suspects. The team also seized packaging equipment, five mobile phones and three vehicles allegedly used to transport the liquor.

The confiscated vehicles included a Maruti WagonR, a Maruti Swift Dzire and a Tata Nexon.

According to police, the operation not only involved allegedly deceiving customers by selling inexpensive liquor as premium products but also risked causing losses to the government through evasion of excise revenue.

How the alleged racket operated

The arrests were made as part of a campaign against the illegal manufacture, sale and smuggling of liquor being conducted under the direction of SSP Suraj Kumar Rai.

During questioning, the accused reportedly told investigators that they filled discarded branded bottles with cheaper alcohol and used a heat dryer to seal the caps. The bottles were then packed in cartons bearing the brands’ names and allegedly distributed across different districts.

Police said the suspects had also disclosed their involvement in supplying such liquor to other districts during questioning.

Seven suspects identified

The arrested individuals have been identified as Amit and Rakesh, residents of Samalkha in Panipat; Mehtab, from Daurala in Meerut; Dheeraj and Hardeep Singh, residents of Shamli; Ramprakash, originally from Sultanpur and currently residing in Chandigarh; and Kuldeep, a resident of Nasirpur in Titawi, Muzaffarnagar.

Police are investigating the alleged supply network and the extent of its operations across districts.

Reported by: Rohit