From Our Correspondent
NONGSTOIN: The village authorities of Themiew, New Nongstoin seized 960 quarter bottles of Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL, Officer’s Choice) late Tuesday night here.
Acting on a tip off received at around 11 pm on Tuesday members of the village authority detained a local cabbie Banbhabok Wahlang (22) of Pyndengrei Village at around 2:30 am with the contraband in his vehicle (ML 06- 5204).
Five other people accompanied the cabbie. While two of them managed to escape, the main operative Nickstone Syiemlieh (22) of New Nongstoin along with his accomplices, Synroplangshai Iawphmiaw (25) of Mawsaw Rangblang Village and Nelsius Lyngdoh (18) of Mawiawban Village were apprehended.
They confessed to taking the liquor bottles for selling them in Nongstoin market.
Syiemlieh said that most of his customers purchased the liquor at the Nonbah Bridge in Nongstoin adding that per quarter bottle was being sold for Rs 100. The consignment was expected to fetch them Rs 96,000.
This was not the first instance where the village authorities of Themiew Locality of New Nongstoin have apprehended Nickstone in a similar case. They decided to expel him from the village but Nickstone pleaded guilty and begged for mercy. The authorities then asked him to pay a fine of Rs 15,000/- and to abstain from such acts in future.
It may be mentioned that all the NGOs including the village authorities of Nongstoin had collectively decided to keep liquor trade at bay. However, despite the ban, there has been rampant illegal sale of liquor in the area.