The New Indian Express ·
Graduate held with Rs 1.5 lakh liquor in first AC coach in Bihar
PATNA: A 25-year-old graduate from Bihar's Samastipur district was arrested for allegedly smuggling branded foreign liquor worth Rs 1.5 lakh on the Delhi-Jaynagar Swatantrata Senani Express.
Neha Jha was travelling in the First AC coach with a close relative, Ishan Kumar, when Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel recovered liquor from their bags during a search. Both were produced before a local court and remanded to 14-day judicial custody in Samastipur district jail on Saturday.
Police said the liquor consignment was allegedly meant for delivery to customers, including doctors and businessmen, in Darbhanga.
Neha, a graduate of a college affiliated to L.N. Mithila University, is a native of Bari village in Samastipur district and had been staying in Darbhanga for higher studies.
Investigators said this was Neha's first arrest, but claimed her family had a history of involvement in the illegal liquor trade. Her father and sister were previously arrested under the Bihar Excise and Prohibition Act. Ishan, a B.Tech graduate, is the brother of Neha's elder sister's husband.
Police suspect Neha and her associates had links with affluent customers in Darbhanga and are investigating the alleged supply and home delivery network.
GRP Inspector Birbal Kumar said Neha allegedly used to travel in First AC coaches to avoid police checks and may have been involved in the trade for a long time.
Police also said Neha's brother-in-law is currently lodged in Chhapra district jail in a prohibition case. Investigators suspect Neha took over the alleged liquor supply network after his arrest, with Ishan's assistance.
Bihar has been a dry state since April 2016, and police say trains are frequently used to transport liquor from neighbouring states.
According to official data, Bihar Police conducted 1.12 lakh raids against illicit liquor across the state between August 1 and 31, 2026, seized 7.10 lakh litres of liquor and arrested 11,300 people in around 10,000 cases.