Custom officials held,for selling liquor

Hyderabad, May 19: Here Telangana State Prohibition and Excise officials have arrested a racket involving Customs officials selling duty-free liquor from the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport here on Thursday.

Two Customs officials have been arrested in connection with the case.

According to Prohibition and Excise officials, based on a tip-off, sleuths had raided the houses of various Customs officials, Excise officials and civilians from Wednesday night to the wee hours on Thursday.

The raids were conducted in connection with reports of the sale of duty-free liquor in collusion with the Airport and Customs officials.

Officials said in the raids conducted till now, 266 bottles of duty-free liquor were recovered from various places.

"So far, with details at hand and the confessional statements of certain Customs officials and civilians, we understand it to be a well-organized racket with almost 150 to 200 bottles being taken out each day by scanning of passports and air tickets of unsuspecting passengers." the Excise officials said.

The two Customs officials who were arrested were produced before the court and remanded in judicial custody. The raids will continue in the houses of certain other Customs officials based on the details worked out, officials added.