Gaya Police arrests Vietnamese national for possession of liquor bottles

Patna, Oct 28 (IANS) Gaya Police has arrested a Vietnamese national on the charge of keeping three bottles of liquor.

The alleged Vietnamese national was taking liquor bottles along with worshiping items inside Mahabodhi temple. The officials said that the liquor bottles were kept in a carton and it was detected when the accused underwent an inside scanner.

The alleged foreign national was taken into custody in Bodh Gaya police station for questioning.

The police said that the majority of the foreign nationals are unaware that Bihar is a dry state and hence they brought the liquor bottles along with the baggage.

However, there is a provision in Bihar to release the offenders after depositing a fine in the police station but such norm is accessible to only for the first time offenders. If the offenders are arrested repeatedly then they are liable to face action as per the Bihar Liquor Prohibition Act.

In another incident, a chartered accountant of Kolkata who went along with family to visit Nepal on Durga Puja was arrested at Darbhanga airport after a liquor bottle was found in his bag during frisking.

The alleged charter accountant, identified as Abhishek Toshniwal, purchased a liquor bottle in Nepal. The liquor bottle was kept in his baggage and reached Darbhanga airport to catch the flight to Kolkata.

The security personnel took him into custody and handed over to Sadar police station on Friday evening. As his wife and two minor children had no other place to stay for the night, they also stayed in the police station for the night.

Liquor has been banned in Bihar since 2016 still it is available across the state with hooch tragedies also taking place.