Muzaffarpur: The district police have identified 26 bootleggers who have formed a syndicate to smuggle in liquor from adjoining states and supplying and selling it in rural and urban pockets.

More than 60 youths possessing bikes and cars work for the bootleggers to deliver portions of the smuggled consignment to customers to earn a fast buck.

Excise superintendent Dinbandhu said the crackdown against liquor smugglers will continue. "Surveillance has been intensified along the porous border of the district with adjoining areas of north Bihar. Smugglers, taking advantage of foggy weather, may bring huge consignments of liquor from neighbouring states," said the superintendent.

"All the trucks and mini trucks passing through the national highways and state highways in the late or early hours are being thoroughly checked. Steps are being made to fortify the surveillance network along the leaky border of highways," said the excise superintendent.

Station house officer of the Maniyari police station Mihir Kumar Jha said all the named FIRs in the Madhopur Susta incident in which more than 10 policemen were injured will be arrested. "They have been accused of scuttling the district police's attempt to seize liquor estimated to be worth Rs 2 crore hidden safely in the Madhopur Susta village for clandestine sale,"

A raiding team has been formed under deputy superintendent of police (east) Gaurav Pandey to arrest the bootleggers. Reports have reached the police office here that all the accused named in the FIR have left the said village apprehending drastic police action. "Assets and properties will be attached if they evaded arrested," station house office Jha.