Panaji: Excise department officials at Polem on the Goa–Karnataka border foiled an attempt to smuggle 300 boxes of whisky worth Rs 18.7 lakh. The liquor was being smuggled under a consignment of potatoes.Officials stopped the truck between 11pm and 11.30pm based on a suspicion.“The driver said the truck was carrying potatoes. Potatoes and onions are usually brought into Goa from Karnataka, not the other way around, which raised our suspicion. The driver and cleaner fled from the spot when faced with further questions,” said excise department inspector Rohit Dessai.The truck, valued at Rs 6.5 lakh, has also been seized. The excise department is conducting further investigation into the incident.To prevent such smuggling, excise department has supplied and affixed high-security, tamper-resistant stickers with QR codes to track liquor bottles packaged in the state.
