NEW DELHI: Indian police have arrested a man for smuggling alcohol into the capital Delhi using camels, seizing two animals and a large consignment of liquor.
The camels were used to carry the alcohol through “forest routes” from the neighbouring city of Faridabad in Haryana state across state lines into the sprawling megacity of Delhi -- where taxes on alcohol are far higher.
“Staff... busted an illicit liquor smuggling racket using camels for transportation,” police said in a statement after the arrests on Monday.
“The contraband was seized and the camels were rescued and handed over to concerned authorities.”
Authorities said the smuggler turned to forest paths and camels to avoid road checkpoints after police increased monitoring along the highways between Faridabad and Delhi.
The Hindustan Times newspaper reported that the same camels had been stopped last year for alcohol smuggling.It reported that the smugglers would offload the contraband once inside city boundaries and deliver the drink to clients -- using bicycle rickshaws.
