Over 2,500 pints of whiskey seized, 5 held

Five people were arrested in Uttar Pradesh's Gautam Buddh Nagar district on Friday for allegedly transporting huge quantity of liquor amid restrictions clamped under the model code of conduct for the upcoming general election, police said.

Three men were held in three separate cars in Dadri area during a pre-dawn inspection. Around 2,300 pints and 335 full bottles of whiskey, originally meant for sale in Haryana and Arunachal Pradesh, were seized from their possession, the police said.

The accused -- Mahesh, Monu and Swapan Mishra -- revealed that they were taking the liquor to sell it in the adjoining Bulandshahr district. Two hatchbacks and a luxury vehicle have been impounded, a police official said.

In another incident, two men -- Sonu and Kamal -- were arrested by the Greater Noida police with 216 pints and 48 bottles of whiskey, the police said.

The five accused in the two cases have been booked under the Excise Act, the police said.

Gautam Buddh Nagar goes to polls on April 11 in the first phase of the Lok Sabha election.