Chotu (named changed) claims to be a resident of Patna City. Whenever he is called up and the word mithai (sweets) is used, the middle aged man prefers not to speak on the cellphone any longer.
Catering to only those he knows, Chotu rushes to meet the caller and negotiates. And if everything falls in the right place, the mithai or a bottle of liquor of any brand reaches the customers' doorsteps in the next two hours, preferably during daytime.
"The rates have increased. For example, a bottle of Royal Challenge whisky now costs Rs 1,300 from Rs 700 earlier. And a bottle of Blenders Pride or 100 Pipers costs Rs 1,500 (from Rs 750) and Rs 2,100 (earlier Rs 1,300), respectively. My employer has clearly told me that the rates are non-negotiable. However, for old customers, we can adjust a bit. The bottles, which now have different code names, are delivered during the daytime at the person's doorsteps and special care is taken to ensure that the customer is known to us. On an average, we take four to five orders in a day and try not to exceed it," he said. At another locality along the Boring Road area, those who still swear by the bottle after the government's total prohibition order on April 5, know where to go and whom to contact.
"There is a man and he primarily runs a betel shop somewhere along the stretch between Boring Road roundabout until Paani Tanki. But he is not going to utter a single word about 'Roohafza (a codename)' to you as you are unknown. So better forget it," said a 40-year-old small-time businessman.
When convinced it was just for information, the man said: "You will have to go to him with someone known to him. Not a word is uttered and you just have to forward him a chit only after the man gets convinced. So if you want, for example, a bottle of Royal Challenge whisky, you have to write 'Roohafza, ek (one), chunauti (challenge)' and give it to him. The man will first take the money (Rs 1,200) and then ask you to be present at a public place. It could be the side of a road, a nearby park or some other place. For Blenders Pride, one has to write 'Roohafza, ek, ghamandi'. For a bottle of Royal Stag, the code word is 'Roohafza, ek, hiran'. You have to come with a bag and the bottle will be carefully put in it. He has men who call up the buyer and ask him certain questions like the description of the place he is standing at, the colour of his shirt and other details before approaching him."
With the excise and prohibition department and the police claiming to take stringent steps to check bootlegging, sources in the department and the police told The Telegraph that much work was still to be done.
A police officer said: "In Patna, bootlegging is continuing in some places even though the police are very strict. With the ban in force, there are many on both sides of the border (Bihar-Jharkhand) who have started to smuggle liquor and have hired carriers. These carriers are mainly the waiters, bar boys, liquor retail shop employees and others who have lost their jobs. The Bihar-Jharkhand or the Bihar-Nepal border isn't much guarded and has several spots through which people can get in without being noticed. Though checks are on, these carriers get anything between Rs 200 and Rs 300 for transporting a bottle into the state."
He added: "So if a carrier has been able to smuggle five bottles in a day, he automatically makes Rs 1,000 at least which is a good amount for him. The police have come to know that many have left Patna and are living in districts which share borders with Jharkhand or Nepal. The smugglers are mainly businessmen involved in the liquor trade. Many have crossed over to Jharkhand and set up base there. Also, many among them have been able to hoard a lot of liquor and are using carriers to supply at higher rates."
"The smugglers are using anyone they can and those who can be bought. The police, while holding checks in the trains, are keeping watch on a group of women. The elderly and minors are also on the radar. However, despite all these steps, one has to accept that clamping down on liquor and not letting even a drop to enter the state is simply impossible," the officer said.
Sarju (name changed), a carrier in Patna, talks about another modus operandi. "I don't carry more than two bottles at any given time. Also, based upon instructions given, I dress up nicely as a student with a backpack and always use the public transport, mainly rickshaws and autorickshaws. The police cannot check each and every autorickshaw," he said.
