State Excise Inspector Prakash Aware, who led the operation, said they had arrested Rachana Punjabi and her son Lalit, who were later released on bail. Officials from the state excise department’s flying squad said they suspected that the liquor was being procured from conduits who in turn had siphoned it from duty free shops at international airports.

In 2005, the state excise officials had nabbed Swapnil Sunil Kadam, the son of an assistant police inspector (API), who had stocked at his Dharavi residence around 700 bottles of premium liquor brand, all allegedly siphoned from the duty free shop at the international airport. Sources said they were investigating whether a similar modus operandi was involved in this case as well.

The duo, arrested from their Khar residence, had in their possession premium brands like Black Label, Red Label and Chivas Regal, in addition to a number of beer cans.

Officials said that the high rate of excise duty in the open market, added to the huge margin of profit in the sale of liquor procured from the duty free shop, encouraged such rackets. A bottle of a premium brand like Black Label, which costs around Rs 1,600 per bottle in the duty free shop, can sell at an estimated Rs 3,000 in retail liquor outlets.