Premium liquor bottles from Delhi, Chennai, Sri Lanka have been making their way into lanes of uptown Banjara Hills and Jubilee Hills.
Consignments from Delhi and other States were found marked as load of ketchup bottles, glassware and sent to Hyderabad through private transport.
Yesterday, when officials of Telangana State Prohibition and Excise Department conducted raids in the city, liquor bottles of brands include Glenfiddich, Johnnie Walker Black Label, Glenlivet, Chivas Regal and others were recovered. The key kingpin in Hyderabad, Shiv Patil, who was procuring and selling the bottles for profit of `500 to `1,000 was arrested.
Recently, Akun Sabharwal, director of Enforcement wing of the excise department said they cracked a cartel which was procuring premium liquor bottles from duty-free shops at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in Shamshabad.
K Pavan Kumar, assistant excise superintendent, A Seetharam Reddy, excise inspector of State Task Force, CH Vijay and other staff continued raids and on Tuesday they recovered 280 bottles, nine worth around `10 lakh of 15 brands from residence of Karim Aladdin, where Shiva Patil used to store the bottles.
He has smuggled in the liquor from Kishen from Delhi, Ganesh from Chennai and Karthik Reddy-former employee of Rajiv Gandhi International Airport.
Assistant excise superintendent Anji Reddy will investigate the case.