Liquor store employees caught refilling expensive brands with cheap alcohol in Delhi's Narela

New Delhi | In a raid conducted by the Excise department of the Delhi government, employees of a liquor store were caught refilling and mixing cheap alcohol and water in the bottles of costly brands, at a mall in Narela, officials said on Sunday.

A team of excise department inspectors, on receiving inputs, raided the Delhi State Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (DSIIDC) liquor vend at the mall in Narela on Thursday.

The team found the vend partially opened and four persons inside it were caught mixing and refilling cheap liquor and water in the empty bottles of costly brands, said an excise department officer.

The team also found a vehicle parked outside the vend, in which a bag of empty liquor bottles was found, some of which were being used inside the vend for illegitimate refilling.

"The employees of the vend used to purchase bottles of liquor from scrap dealers and used to affix bar codes, passing them off as legitimate, high-priced liquor. We have informed the DSIIDC and sought action against them," said the officer.

Local police were informed, and a case was registered at Narela police station. The police seized the bottles and the vehicles, he stated.

A sample of filled bottles, which were seized from the vendor, has been sent for chemical examination, and the vendor was sealed, he added.