Youth arrested for selling illegal liquor using Zomato bags

Wanted to dodge police during election period

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: In a bid to evade police detection and cater to customer demand for chilled beer, a youth in the cantonment area resorted to delivering liquor disguised in Zomato bags. However, his ploy was foiled by the state excise department during a raid on a daily needs shop on Wednesday.

The accused, Prateek Kisanlal Jaiswal (26), was apprehended with a significant stash of liquor with 1,032 bottles of foreign liquor and beer seized from his shop. The raid was prompted by a tip-off received by inspector Anand Chaudhary of the state excise department, suggesting illegal liquor sales from a small breakfast establishment in the cantonment area.

Chaudhary, along with inspectors Ganesh Nagve, Poonam Chavan, Priyanka Rathore, and Praveen Puri, conducted the raid on Wednesday. The motive behind the Zomato bag use came to light during the investigation. With only one bar operating in the cantonment area, and its closure during dry days hindering customer access to liquor, Jaiswal opted to utilize reusable Zomato delivery bags, typically constructed from polyester fabric, to transport liquor discreetly.

Delivery boy provided the bags

Jaiswal reportedly confessed to the police that the Zomato delivery personnel who frequented his shop for liquor purchases were the source of the delivery bags. These bags not only served the purpose of concealing the liquor from police suspicion, particularly during periods of heightened vigilance like elections, but also aided in maintaining the coolness of beer stored within.