Joda: Some time back, the Excise Department seized a huge amount of liquor in Joda town of Keonjhar district. Acting on a tip-off, the seizure was conducted under the direct supervision of Dillip Kumar Nag, the Deputy Commissioner of Intelligence Excise Enforcement Bureau (EIEB), Sambalpur.
Surprisingly, 19 days have passed since then, but the Excise Department has taken no action against the liquor mafia, the main accused in this case. He is reported to be at large. This has posed a question mark on the intent of the Excise Department.
The Excise Department had seized the liquor near Dharanidhar Chahak April 22. However, no one had claimed ownership of the seized liquor, said IIC of EIEB, Pratap Chandra Samal.
Various quarters have pointed fingers at the Excise Department’s inefficiency as well as intention in cracking the case.
When asked about it, Pratap Chandra Samal said Sunday that a case has been registered against a person named Sushil Jaiswal.
Besides, the department has failed to trace the source of the seized liquor and where it was being supplied.
The accused is in the area but the Excise Department is sitting pretty by just registering a case against him. Many people were surprised when they came to know about the ownership of the house where liquor had been seized.
When Jaiswal was asked about the case, he said that he was falsely implicated in the case.
It was learnt that the mafia has been supplying huge amount of liquor from neighbouring Jharkhand to Joda with the tacit support of some Excise officials. According to reports, a racket is actively pushing the bootlegging in the area. Those involved are adulterating Indian-made foreign liquor (IMFL) and selling it openly in the town, it was alleged.
PNN