Liquor being smuggled out of duty free shops at Bangalore airport – Excise Department

The Excise Intelligence Bureau in Karnataka has reason to suspect that that expensive liquor bottles are being routinely smuggled out of the duty free shops at Bangalore airport.

For, the purchase records at these duty free shops show that not just religious leaders, but also Haj pilgrims have been buying liquor bottles.

According to a report in The New Indian Express, an organized foreign liquor sale racket is thriving in Bangalore and causing a huge loss to the state exchequer. The duty free shopkeepers at the airport manage to smuggle out expensive Scotch bottles on the names of international passengers. The passenger lists are obtained from international airline operators.

Several brands of expensive liquor are available at less than half the price in duty free shops.

“Why would anyone buy a Black Label whisky bottle from Karnataka State Beverage Corporation Limited paying Rs 4,150 when the same is available for Rs 1,700 in duty free shops? But, that does not mean that the smuggled out liquor is sold at a cheaper price. It is sold just a few hundred rupees less than the Government’s price”, the Excise Intelligence Bureau officer is quoted as saying.

With an average of twelve international flights landing and taking off from Bangalore airport everyday, the two duty free shops operating round the clock at the airport manage to smuggle out several bottles of liquor after carefully picking passengers. Though the shopkeepers are careful enough not choose passengers, who are too famous, the names of religious leaders and Haj pilgrims are also mentioned sometimes.

The clubs and malls of Bangalore are reported to be the major customers of liquor smuggled out of duty free shops at Bangalore airport.

The officer recalled that tour operators would organize trips to Dubai and Singapore in the early nineties offering passengers attractive rates. “In turn, the tour operators would purchase foreign items on the passengers’ names and bring to Bangalore. But, this has stopped after duty free shops were set-up here”, he said.