Archive · 29 Jul 2026
ED Files PMLA Complaint Over Assam‑Arunachal Liquor Smuggling Racket
The government’s Enforcement Directorate (ED) in Guwahati has filed a legal complaint against 19 people and 14 bonded warehouses.
They are accused of making and smuggling a lot of liquor from Arunachal Pradesh into Assam without paying the required taxes.
The ED says the smuggled liquor was sold under fake labels and that the money from these sales was hidden in banks and used to buy property.
The ED seized a huge amount of liquor, cash, and froze bank accounts.
They are still investigating how the money was moved around and how the smuggling network worked.
ED Guwahati filed a PMLA prosecution complaint against 19 accused and 14 bonded warehouses for alleged liquor smuggling between Arunachal Pradesh and Assam.
The investigation was based on 173 FIRs by Assam Police; smuggled liquor labeled "For sale in Arunachal Pradesh" entered Assam without permits or EVC.
Seizures: 2.63 lakh bulk litres, Rs. 52.77 crore value, 739 incidents from January 2023 to April 2026, only a fraction of total smuggled.
Accused allegedly controlled licences, used dummy directors, increased manufacturing capacity without duty payments, and laundered proceeds via a four‑tier mechanism into personal and HUF accounts.
ED froze Rs. 26.59 crore in bank balances, seized Rs. 52.10 lakh cash, and confirmed assets under the PMLA adjudicating authority.
- Who
- 19 accused including Sanjay Dewan, Niraj Sharma, Rajan Lohia, Shankar Deb, and Sameer Mehta
- What
- Prosecution complaint under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act for alleged liquor smuggling and money laundering
- When
- July 29, 2026
- Where
- Guwahati, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh
- Why
- Alleged smuggling to evade excise duty and VAT, and laundering proceeds
- Accused Count
- 19
- Bonded Warehouse Entities
- 14
- Seized Liquor Volume
- 2.63 lakh bulk litres
- Seized Liquor Value
- Rs. 52.77 crore
- Frozen Bank Balances
- Rs. 26.59 crore
- Seized Cash
- Rs. 52.10 lakh
- Investigation Basis
- 173 FIRs
- Seizure Incidents
- 739
- Seizure Period
- January 2023 – April 2026