Dumka: Police late on Friday seized 141 cartons of liquor, allegedly being brought from West Bengal and bound for Bihar, at a vehicle checking drive under Kathikund police station limits.The driver of the pickup van, which was seized near Dani Nath Temple, was arrested. The accused has been identified as Lakha Mahto, 46, a resident of Udalbani in Jamtara district. The drive was launched based on a tip-off that liquor was being illegally transported to Dumka.Lakhan disclosed to the police that the consignment belonged to one Manoj Kumar Mandal (44), resident of Phagudih village in Jamtara. It was loaded from the Rajgram area under Muraroi police station in Bengal. Police suspected that it was bound for Bihar.During the search, police recovered 141 cartons of liquor hidden beneath empty cartons and covered with tarpaulin. Each carton contained 48 pouches of 180 ml of whiskey labeled “For Sale in Uttar Pradesh Only.” A total of 6,768 pouches of whiskey were seized.“A case has been registered at Kathikund police station under Sections 274, 275 and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Section 47(a) of the Excise Act against Lakhan Mahato and Manoj Kumar Mandal,” Balram Singh, the officer-in-charge of Kathikund police station, said.
