Itanagar: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has conducted searches at nine locations linked to wholesale liquor businesses in Arunachal Pradesh as part of a widening probe into an alleged large-scale interstate liquor smuggling racket.
Officials from the ED’s Guwahati Zonal Office carried out the operations on April 23, 2026, under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002. The targeted sites were spread across Itanagar, Naharlagun, Seppa, Ziro, Daporijo, Namsai, and Roing.
The investigation, triggered by a complaint in October 2024 and later expanded to include 173 additional FIRs from Assam Police along with inputs from the Assam Excise Department, has uncovered a sophisticated network. Liquor manufactured for the Arunachal market is allegedly diverted through bonded warehouses and wholesalers, often using dummy licences in the names of local tribal partners while actual control remains with a few key operators.
During the raids, investigators recovered approximately Rs 40 lakh in unaccounted cash, along with stock books, daily ledgers, and 14 forged seals — including fake stamps of the “Excise Department, Government of Arunachal Pradesh” used for creating sham transport permits. Bank records reportedly showed suspicious patterns, including bulk cash deposits and identical low-value invoices designed to evade scrutiny.
Earlier action in February 2025 had targeted three alleged masterminds controlling over 25 linked entities. The racket is said to cause substantial revenue loss to Arunachal Pradesh while flooding neighbouring Assam with untaxed liquor.
The ED continues to analyse seized documents and is working to identify the main players behind the network.
This development highlights growing enforcement efforts against excise evasion and illegal cross-border trade in the Northeast region.
Tags: ED raids Arunachal, Liquor smuggling Arunachal, Enforcement Directorate PMLA, Guwahati Zonal Office, Arunachal excise evasion, Naharlagun raids, Interstate liquor racket, Forged excise seals, Northeast smuggling probe, Arunachal Pradesh news
Hashtags: #EDRaids #ArunachalPradesh #LiquorSmuggling #PMLA #EnforcementDirectorate #NortheastIndia #ExciseEvasion #ItanagarNews #ArunachalNews #BorderTrade
