Staff Reporter
DIMAPUR, JUNE 7
The State Excise department on Saturday raided suspected liquor joints in and around Dimapur town and arrested 17 persons “involved in Excise offence.” The raid was conducted by a joint team of Dimapur District Excise Office, Mobile Squad and Narcotic Cell.
According to a press statement issued by the Assistant Commissioner of Excise (Enforcement), V Mepfuo, the Excise raid team had seized assorted IMFL worth Rs 49,050 in street value. Neither the number nor the names of the shops raided on Saturday were specified in the media release.
Mepfuo said offenders have been booked under the NLTP Act 1989. It might be purely coincidental but the Excise team raid on Saturday comes right in the backdrop of the ACAUT’s press statement yesterday asking the Excise Commissioner to “kindly shut down within 24 hours the major places selling liquor illegally in town.” The ACAUT had, in its address to the Excise Commissioner, identified liquor shops near Axis Bank, Faith Hospital junction, Khermahal junction, Super Market area, Signal Angami area, Deluxe Point/Bata Charali area, Eros Lane area and pubs located opposite Popular Bakery and SP Office, Dimapur.
In Signal area, all the shops reportedly selling liquor remained closed till late afternoon. They resumed business only after 3.30 pm Saturday. An attendant at one of the shops told Eastern Mirror that they had no clue about any Excise raids.
“But we were informed that the student union was conducting a check. That is why we closed it for the whole day,” he said even as he refused to divulge the name of the students’ union concerned.
The scenario was completely opposite in town, though. As of Saturday afternoon, except for the shops near Axis Bank mentioned by the ACAUT, it was business as usual for the rest.
Few prospective customers had to quench their thirsts elsewhere after they arrived at the shops near Axis Bank, City Tower only to find them locked.
