Triplers come up with codes to procure alcohol in Bihar

 Although it has been 14 months since Bihar was declared a dry state — the prohibition was imposed in April 2016 — tipplers in the state still find ways to quench their thirst.

The news would not have made national headlines had the police not recently accused rodents of guzzling up confiscated liquor.

While no one was ready to buy the bizarre claim made by the police that alcoholic rodents had consumed around nine lakh litres of seized alcohol stored in different police stations, it has come to light that alcohol is easily available to those who know the lingo.

“All you need to know is the secret code or terminology used for different brands,” a source told DH.
While ‘Jehangir’ is the code for IMFL (Indian made foreign liquor), ‘one litre of milk’ means the person wants a large bottle.

In towns like Jogbani and Forbesganj, which are located close to the border with Nepal, tipplers use the code ‘Nepal’ to procure liquor.

In the districts of Rohtas and Bhabua, one has to use the code ‘Fruti’ if someone needs IMFL.
And depending on whether you want a small or a large bottle, say ‘chota syrup’ or ‘bada syrup’.

Stringent laws

“Initially, the prohibition was strictly enforced. But now, the tipplers are having a field day throughout Bihar. A police officer recently told me how his income has increased manifold as the prohibition laws are stringent and nobody wants to get arrested,” a senior lawyer told DH. While trucks and other vehicles carrying alcohol are held everyday, there are quite a few that are not.

“If three trucks carry alcohol, one of them is seized. The other two go scot-free. The police get appreciated for carrying out their duty and the tipplers get their drinks, albeit with a premium,” said the lawyer, arguing that prohibition could never be strictly enforced in a state like Bihar, which shares porous borders with Nepal in the north, West Bengal in the east, Uttar Pradesh in the west and Jharkhand in the south.

Liquor trail

Sept 2016: Patna police recover more than 300 bottles of liquor from the house of woman constable Meenu Jha. The seized liquor includes 18 bottles each of Godfather beer and Thunderbolt beer, 270 bottles of Royal Stag, 18 bottles of Hundred Pipers and five bottles of Scotch Whisky.

May 4, 2017: Bihar Police Men’s Association president Nirmal Singh is arrested for consuming liquor.
May 17: A CRPF jawan S K Singh is arrested from Vaishali on the charge of being drunk. Two litres of country liquor is also seized from him.

May 20: Mala Devi, a woman constable of the Crime Investigation Department, is arrested after police recover 19 pouches of Jharkhand-made country liquor from her house in Bakhtiyarpur.