Excise department gets tough with bootleggers

DCs instructed to lodge FIRs at police stations and register cases under relevant sections of IPC for excise offences

By Our Staff Reporter

Guwahati, Oct 25: In view of reports of illicit liquor from neighbouring States, particularly from Aruchal Pradesh, flooding Assam, thereby depriving the State government of precious excise revenue, Dispur has taken a serious note and asked deputy commissioners to direct district-level excise officials to lodge FIRs at police stations and register cases under relevant sections of IPC for excise offences.

In a letter to the DCs, the Commissioner of Excise noted with concern that excise offences have increased “tremendously” in recent times. It stated that there have been several instances of State government agencies like the Bureau of Investigation Economic Offences (BIEO) and Crimil Investigation Department (CID) conducting several raids and seizing huge quantities of India-made foreign liquor (IMFL) with fake labels from uuthorised godowns.

The modus operandi in such offences is to use fake labels on bottles smuggled from Aruchal Pradesh and sell these in the local market, thereby depriving the Assam government of its share of excise revenue.

According to the Commissioner of Excise, such offences are bailable offences under the present Excise Act and conceded that it is not sufficient to hinder such offences. “Therefore, you are requested to direct the concerned Superintendents of Excise, Deputy Superintendents of Excise and Inspectors of Excise to lodge FIR in local police station for such kind of excise offences under relevant IPC sections …,” the letter to the DCs instructed.

The Commissioner has categorised excise offences broadly under four heads and asked the DCs to invoke specific sections of Indian Pel Code (IPC). In respect of defalcation of government revenue, it has called for invoking Section 420 of IPC. The letter said offences under Excise Act and Rules can also be clubbed with the offence of crimil breach of trust under Sections 406 and 409 of IPC.

Further, if anybody is found to have indulged in forgery, Section 468 of IPC can also be invoked, while if two or more persons are found to be involved in any illegal act, the offenders can be additiolly booked under Section 120B of IPC for crimil conspiracy, the letter explained.

The letter also directed the excise officials to register excise offences separately as per the Assam Excise Act, 2000.