The Excise Department seized liquor and vehicles worth nearly ₹9 lakh near Rakskop in Belgaum taluk on Saturday (6). The smuggler, however, fled after assaulting officials, and a search has been launched to trace him.
As liquor sales were banned in Belgaum on account of Ganesh Visarjan, officials had received a tip-off about a car smuggling Goan liquor into the district. Acting on the information, a trap was laid near Rakskop. When the vehicle arrived, the driver, identified as Balu Sateri, attacked the officers and managed to escape.
On inspection, the car was found carrying 50 boxes of liquor of 10 different brands, valued at around ₹5.63 lakh as per Karnataka rates. Along with this, a car worth ₹3 lakh and a two-wheeler worth ₹30,000 were seized, bringing the total seizure to about ₹8.86 lakh. The Excise Department continues its search for the absconding driver.
