India, July 24 -- Two people, including a driver, were arrested for allegedly smuggling assorted liquor worth nearly Rs.1 crore in Manipur, police said on Thursday.

The Assam Rifles intercepted their vehicle on National Highway (NH)-37 near Awangkhul and seized over 32,000 bottles and cans of liquor, along with the truck.

An officer said the two were handed over to the state police for further investigation.

Manipur has been a dry state since the enactment of the Manipur Liquor Prohibition Act in 1991. The law, however, provides exemptions for Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) communities to brew liquor under their traditional customs and customary laws.

In September 2022, the state cabinet partially lifted the prohibition...