Patna: Police, following total prohibition on liquor in the state, are apprehensive about the rising trend of bootlegging.
Women carriers, cops fear, would turn into a major headache for them, notwithstanding that the Bihar Excise Amendment Act, 2016, provides for stringent punishment on use of women and children in illegal liquor trade with up to eight years in jail.
A police officer, requesting anonymity, told The Telegraph: “There are states such as Gujarat and Manipur which implemented the prohibition long ago. Whenever a product as popular as liquor is banned anywhere, an illegal parallel business of demand and supply of the same starts. We are studying the modus operandi used by gangs of bootleggers in states, where such ban is in force. Though several catches have been made, they mostly centre around liquor hoarders. Women bootleggers need to be considered seriously.”
In Gujarat, where prohibition is in force since years, women play active role in liquor smuggling business in the districts of Junagarh and Amreli. Women travelling by bus and train smuggle liquor in pouches inside their tight-fitting clothes under saris.
“Criminal gangs are known to use women in smuggling arms and ammunition into Bihar from Uttar Pradesh and Bengal and districts like Munger. There have been many arrests and sophisticated firearms have been recovered from their possession. Though the security is tight in the bordering areas of the state at present, cops have been directed to keep a close eye on the womenfolk. They have been asked to follow the same modus operandi,” the officer pointed out.
He added that apart from women, children are also on the police radar.
“The problem with women and children lies that they cannot be suspected easily. Initial investigations have shown that the bootlegging business are run in Bihar by gangs involved in arms smuggling. Apart from women, they have started using children and the old and frail-looking people as carriers. Though much cannot be disclosed at this moment, a plan to tackle them is being made and a proactive approach of the special task force is needed to curtail it,” the officer added.
In Manipur, liquor comes mainly on trucks from spots like Moreh, which lies on the Manipur-Myanmar border.
“Several districts in north Bihar share borders with Nepal. The police had a meeting with the personnel and officers of Sashastra Seema Bal aimed that stopping liquor smuggling. Though bootlegging is not thriving in Bihar, one has to stop this shady industry from developing in the state,” said another police officer.