Railway Security Forces Arrest Plumber Linked to Hidden Liquor Stash on Train

In a high‑profile anti‑smuggling operation, the Railway Protection Force (RPF) has detained a 25‑year‑old plumber‑carpenter suspected of facilitating the transport of illegal foreign liquor on the Vaishali Express. The suspect, Koshish Kumar, works for a private contractor under the railway's carriage and wagon department.

The raid unfolded at Saharsa railway station's washing pit gate 30 after RPF received a tip about a concealed liquor shipment. While attempting to flee, Kumar was tackled by RPF personnel with assistance from the gate‑man and other railway staff. A second accomplice escaped and is still being pursued.

A search of Kumar's person uncovered two bottles of liquor. When interrogated, he revealed that the smuggled spirits were stashed in the sealed ceiling panels of three empty‑rack AC coaches – coach numbers A‑1, B‑3 and B‑5. He admitted to extracting two bottles himself.

Excise and product inspection teams were then summoned to conduct a systematic examination of the coaches. Their thorough search lifted the seals and recovered 261 bottles of foreign liquor, each holding 750 ml, amounting to about 197.25 litres. The total value of the contraband was assessed at roughly ₹2,53,250.

Kumar has been handed over to the product inspection department for further questioning, while the seized liquor has been transferred to the Saharsa excise inspector for legal action. Police continue to investigate the escaped accomplice and the broader smuggling network that supplied the alcohol.