Rodents in a post office in Kochi have “betrayed” an alleged friendly gesture of sending alcohol by parcel from Bengaluru to Kerala amid Covid-19 curbs. The “smuggling” reportedly discovered by a rat gnawing on a package dressed by a mixture (snacks) is likely to result in up to ten years imprisonment and a fine of Rs 1 lakh for both.
According to Kerala Excise officials, sending bottles of liquor, whether it was a kind gesture or not, is an offense under Section 58 of the Abkari Act that warrants up to ten years imprisonment and a fine of no less than Rs 1 lakh.
On Tuesday, officials at the post office in Kochi came across the package with a portion gnawed by a rat. When checking the package, the officers found three 375 ml schnapps bottles with schnapps next to the mixed pack. They informed the excise officers who had recorded a case.
The sender was learned to be a Malayali in Bengaluru and it has been suggested that he was sending the liquor to one of his friends in Kochi as liquor stores in Kerala are closed for more than a month due to the Covid-19 lockdown.
Deputy Excise Commissioner Ashok Kumar TA told DH that the sender and recipient would be located and their address verified again. The possibility of someone sending the package using someone else’s address cannot be ruled out, since a similar modus operandi often occurs in drug smuggling in the state.
Sources said the sender had already told customs officials that he had sent the liquor in a parcel without knowing the serious consequences.
