JOWAI: The Excise office of West Jaintia Hills has seized about three boxes of Indian Foreign Made Liquor (IMFL) from a tailor shop at Wah-Nangbah in Jowai on Thursday.
The shop belongs to one Kynrongki Lakiang (51) of Panaliar Jowai.
Lakiang in his defence said due to financial crisis, he decided to start an illegal business for the sake of his family. The excise official said the team conducted the raid after receiving information about illegal sell of liquor. A stock of unauthorised medicine was also found during the raid which they seized. However, the district health office, particularly the DM&HO, failed to help the police and the excise officials in verifying the medicine. Hence an instruction by the higher authority to seize the medicine along with the liquor for further investigation was issued.
Interestingly, one New Khonglah, owner of a whole seller shop close to the tailor shop, staked claim on the medicine.
Khonglah said the medicine belongs to him, the supplier handed the medicine over to Lakiang because his shop was closed on Thursday. However, he failed to prove that he had ordered the medicine and could not produce a voucher or an order slip.
It is suspected that medicines were also being sold in the black market and the government is losing a huge amount in the form of taxes.
