An aspiring Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) candidate was arrested in Bihar’s Hajipur for smuggling liquor. Police seized a bag full of liquor and a scooty from the accused’s possession.
Reportedly, the accused delivered liquor on-demand during night hours after finishing his coaching classes in the day. Identified as Ashutosh Raj, he confessed to smuggling liquor due to financial difficulties and to pay for coaching fees.
Ashutosh had been preparing for the BPSC exam from a coaching institute located on Boring Road in Patna. He used to deliver liquor from Saharan district to Hajipur on his scooty. Police informed that the accused was caught along with 25 tetra-packs of liquor.
Ajit Kumar, Inspector, Excise Department, said that police are making efforts to nab young students who are involved in this network. He said, “The accused came in contact with young students indulging in this activity after which he started doing home delivery of liquor. He was caught carrying the liquor consignment on his scooty inside a bag. We had received a tip-off about the network, following which he was caught with a liquor consignment. There are 3-4 other people involved in this. We are making efforts to catch them.”
In his defense, the accused said that he had given lift to a stranger who fled leaving behind the liquor consignment.
The arrest comes in the background of police crackdown on the supply of liquor in the state. At least 70 people died after consuming illicit liquor in Chapra, Saran district. The deaths of 70 people in Mashrakh, Marhaura, Ishuapur, Amnaur, Tariyya, Baniyapur and Parsa blocks of Saran district allegedly due to consumption of spurious liquor on Dec 13, 2022 were the highest in such an incident since prohibition was brought into effect in Bihar in 2016.