RGIA police constable, home guard caught smuggling Rs.15L duty-free liquor
Hyderabad: Hyderabad Excise officials have uncovered a major liquor smuggling operation at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA), leading to the seizure of duty-free liquor bottles worth Rs 15 lakh. The operation, involving airport staff and other accomplices, was exposed after the Excise Department set up a special vigil.
The accused were allegedly purchasing liquor from duty-free shops at the airport in the names of several passengers and selling it for a profit.
The seizure included 41 bottles of Hyderabad Duty-Free liquor (1 litre each), six bottles of defense liquor (750 ml each), four mobile phones, and three cars, a Hyundai Venue (TS 07 HU 2111), a Hyundai i20 (TG09 D 123), and a Maruti Swift (AP 09 BW 4066). The total value of the seized goods is estimated at Rs 15 lakh.
Following a tip-off about illegal liquor sales, the operation began on December 27, 2024. Acting on the information, the Excise team intercepted M. Gemya Naik, a constable at RGIA, after his shift ended. In his Hyundai Venue, officials found 6 bottles of duty-free liquor and four bottles of defense liquor. Gemya Naik later admitted to delivering gold label whiskey bottles to Raghavendra Rao, a hotel manager in Gachibowli. Authorities searched Raghavendra Rao’s Hyundai i20 and found 8 bottles of gold-label whiskey.
In a separate action, Bandari Lingaiah, a home guard at RGIA, was stopped at Aramgarh X Roads, Rajendra Nagar. Officials discovered 23 duty-free and 2 defense liquor bottles in his Maruti Dzire.
The main accused, Gemya Naik, including Bandari Lingaiah, Raghavendra Rao, and Geedhara Harish Kumar Reddy (a software engineer), have been arrested and handed over to Shamshabad police. A fifth suspect, Maheshwar, who worked at the duty-free shop, is still on the run.
Excise officials have warned of strict action against those involved in such illegal activities, stressing the loss to state revenue from these operations. The accused face charges under the Telangana Excise Act, 1968 (COR No. 170/2024 and 171/2024).
