Bihar Police’s Prohibition Unit has significantly increased its efforts to curb illegal liquor trade, particularly in anticipation of the upcoming assembly elections. A comprehensive operation is underway to combat cross-border smuggling and take action against individuals involved. As part of this initiative, 390 checkpoints are being established across 23 border districts within Bihar. Furthermore, locations for 161 additional checkpoints have been identified in bordering districts of other states. This information was disclosed by ADG (Prohibition) Amit Kumar Jain during a press conference held at the Police Headquarters.
ADG Jain stated that foreign liquor is primarily being smuggled into Bihar from Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Chandigarh, Haryana, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Rajasthan, and Arunachal Pradesh. Cooperation has been sought from the Directors General of Police and Excise Commissioners of these states to facilitate necessary action. Based on batch numbers and QR codes of seized liquor shipments, the authorities have identified the responsible retailers or wholesalers.
In connection with liquor prohibition cases, 305 traffickers or accused from other states have been identified. This list is being shared with the respective states to ensure stringent action. Moreover, 240 individuals involved in the illegal liquor business have been targeted under Section 107 of the Indian Penal Code (BNS). Proposals against 76 of them have been submitted to the court, while actions against the rest are ongoing.
Additionally, 8,546 individuals involved in liquor smuggling or illicit trade have been registered in the ‘goonda register’ as of June this year. 1,394 individuals have been identified as regular drinkers and 1,344 have been externed from the district. Since the implementation of the prohibition law from April 2016 to June 2025, the police have arrested 13,921 liquor traders from outside the state in Bihar.
The Prohibition Unit has formed 10 special operation teams to conduct continuous raids. As a result, 522,096 liters of illegal liquor were seized by July of this year. The special operation teams are recovering an average of 75,000 liters of liquor per month. In 2024, the average monthly recovery was 67,000 liters, indicating a 12 percent increase compared to the previous year. This highlights the continuous and intensified crackdown on illegal liquor. Special teams have conducted 19 operations outside the state, including 7 in Jharkhand, 10 in Uttar Pradesh, and 2 in Chhattisgarh.
Nine individuals have been sentenced to death for violating the prohibition law. Furthermore, 18 have received life imprisonment, 222 have been sentenced to over 10 years in prison, 935 have been sentenced to 2 to 10 years, and 621 have received sentences of less than 2 years. From April 2016 to July 3, 2025, 536,921 cases have been registered under the prohibition law. A total of 640,379 people have been sentenced under various sections of the law.
From April 2016 to June 2025, 26,896,955 liters of illegal liquor have been seized in the state. This includes 10,006,024 liters of country liquor and 16,790,931 liters of foreign liquor. Approximately 97% of the total seized liquor has been destroyed.
