Ahead of New Year celebrations, the excise department has deployed special squads to the city and Navi Mumbai to seize illicit liquor flown into the metropolis.
 
The department conducted two separate raids on December 20, seizing 158 boxes of illicit liquor worth Rs 27.81 lakh from a Palghar residence and counterfeit foreign liquor worth Rs 22.44 lakh from a godown. “In the first case, after being informed that there were huge quantities of illicit liquor in one Kalpesh Patil’s residence in Palghar’s Masroli district, we raided his home,” said an excise official.

According to officials, two individuals—Vikram Rajput, 48, and 42-year-old Sujanram Siya—were arrested from Patil’s residence. “These people were going to sell illicit foreign liquor in areas such as Dadra and Nagar Haveli. We have seized two tempos that were parked at the residence,” said an official.