In a significant crackdown ahead of the Holi festival, the Chandauli police in India confiscated around 10,000 liters of illegal alcohol packed in 1,028 cartons. The police estimated the value of the seized alcohol to be approximately 1.68 crore rupees. This operation was part of a larger initiative to conduct intensive vehicle checks in light of the festival, which often sees an increase in alcohol consumption and potential violations of local laws.

The operation was led by a joint team from the Alinegar police station and the Special Operations Group (SOG), who were conducting checks on National Highway 19. The police noticed a suspicious truck with Rajasthan license plates attempting to evade a stop signal. After a brief pursuit, the police successfully intercepted the vehicle and conducted a thorough search, which revealed the concealed alcohol beneath bags of potatoes and husks intended for transport.

The packaging of the alcohol cartons bore the label 'For sale in Punjab only', indicating that the alcohol was being smuggled from Punjab into Bihar, where a complete ban on alcohol is enforced. One arrest has been made, identifying the driver as a 30-year-old male from Barmer district in Rajasthan. This incident highlights the ongoing challenges of enforcing alcohol bans in Bihar and the lengths to which smugglers will go to circumvent the law during major festive occasions like Holi.