Lucknow, Nov 18: As a reckoning pointer towards the rampant illicit liquor trade in Uttar Pradesh, more than 20,000 persons were arrested in over 17,000 cases in the first six months of the current fiscal. An excise department release said here yesterday that there was a marked increase of 3000 cases from the corresponding figures last year.

During the period 43,000 raids were conducted and more than 4.5 lakh litres of illicit liquor was seized.

Further, 10,842 cases of smuggling within the state and 530 of inter-state smuggling were also detected till September.

Bureau Report