LUCKNOW, Nov. 2 -- Ahead of the assembly elections in Bihar, liquor smuggling from Uttar Pradesh to the dry state has increased. In the last five and a half months, excise teams have seized 35,785 litres of foreign liquor, confiscated 74 vehicles, and arrested 128 smugglers from several districts of UP, officials said. Deputy excise commissioner Rakesh Kumar Singh said the sudden spike in smuggling is directly tied to the election season in Bihar, where prohibition has created an illegal but thriving market for alcohol. "We are witnessing an unusual surge in consignments moving towards Bihar. Our operations have intensified accordingly, and seizures have risen sharply this year," Singh said. According to official data, excise teams intercepted consignments from districts including Ballia, Ghazipur, Varanasi, Barabanki, Agra, Mathura, Gonda, Basti, Kanpur, and Gorakhpur. In Lucknow, 7,247 litres of foreign liquor were recovered between April 1 and September 17. Officials registered four cases in the city and confiscated four vehicles carrying liquor cartons. Singh said most of these consignments originated from Haryana, Rajasthan, and Chandigarh, states where liquor is comparatively cheaper. Most of the seized bottles were of 180 ml and 350 ml capacities. The Bihar Prohibition and Excise Act prohibits the manufacture, sale, storage, and consumption of alcohol. Officials said the law, which was aimed at curbing alcoholism, has instead given rise to a large-scale interstate smuggling industry. Uttar Pradesh, being a key neighbouring state, has become a crucial corridor for the illegal supply.How the smuggling works Excise officials said smugglers earlier used rental vehicles for transporting consignments. Many of these vehicles operated with fake number plates to avoid detection. Excise inspector Vivek Singh said, "Smugglers modified vehicles to create secret compartments. Liquor cartons were hidden beneath other goods to avoid suspicion." As police checks on roads were stepped up, smugglers were now relying on trains, which was seen in a recent seizure. "Smugglers are experimenting with railway routes as road seizures increase. However, our teams acted swiftly on intelligence inputs, and several consignments were intercepted at railway junctions," another excise official said. Lucknow district excise officer Karunendra Singh said the mastermind behind the smuggling nexus was now under surveillance. He said the racket was well-financed and ran through a chain of middlemen, vehicle operators, and local handlers across multiple states. A senior excise officer, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the department was facing a shortage of manpower and modern equipment. "Many a time, our teams depend solely on tip-offs, which are not always accurate. Wrong information wastes time and resources. Scanners that can detect liquor hidden in vehicles were found to be ineffective. So, their procurement was cancelled," the official explained. "We are stretched thin, but our department is crucial for revenue and law enforcement," he added. Meanwhile, liquor smuggling to Bihar is at its peak. Excise officials believe that the spike is temporary and directly connected to the upcoming Bihar polls. "Smugglers are trying to flood the market before elections. Once the elections are over, such activities usually reduce," Rakesh Singh observed. Another excise official said the fight against liquor smuggling was not only a law enforcement challenge but also a test of governance in the two states with starkly different liquor policies....