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GURUGRAM: The Enforcement Directorate has conducted search operations at 10 premises across Delhi-NCR, Haryana, and Punjab in connection with a money laundering probe against an illicit liquor syndicate accused of diverting and selling imported foreign liquor through a prominent Gurugram outlet named The Theka. According to investigators from the agency’s Gurugram Zonal Office, the searches, carried out on November 3 and 4 under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, led to the recovery and seizure of Rs 11 lakh in unaccounted cash, incriminating records, and digital evidence. Officials estimate that the syndicate diverted more than one lakh bottles between June and November 2025, evading statutory levies and generating proceeds of crime exceeding Rs 10 crore.
Diversion through bond-to-bond transfer mechanism bypasses statutory duties
The federal investigation stems from an FIR and subsequent chargesheet filed by the Haryana Police following a major seizure by state excise authorities on December 9, 2025. During that operation, officials confiscated 3,921 cases and 176 loose bottles of imported foreign liquor from The Theka after finding that the entire consignment lacked mandatory holograms and official Track and Trace security strips. The central agency also took note of another FIR lodged by the Haryana Police against certain members of the racket relating to the distribution and sale of spurious liquor.
The inquiry revealed that the consignments were legally brought into the country through government-approved importing entities before the syndicate exploited the regulatory bond-to-bond transfer mechanism. Under customs rules, bond transfers permit the inter-state movement of liquor consignments between bonded warehouses without the immediate upfront payment of customs and excise levies, subject to stringent documentation. The accused established commercial entities across Haryana, Goa, and Maharashtra to obtain relevant clearances. Payments were routed through banking channels to foreign liquor suppliers, and shipments were initially brought to bonded warehouses in Haryana.
Imported consignments routed directly to retail outlets without security strips
Rather than transporting the stock to designated warehousing destinations in Goa or Maharashtra, the syndicate allegedly collaborated with logistics providers to divert the consignments midway. The imported liquor was transported straight to retail shops in Gurugram, bypassing mandatory oversight. The stock was subsequently sold to retail consumers as authentic imported products, enabling the operators to evade customs duties, state excise taxes, Value Added Tax, local cesses, and permit fees.
The investigation disclosed that after securing operational liquor licenses for the 2025 to 2027 cycle, the syndicate altered its procurement structure to widen profit margins. By omitting mandatory identification markings, the syndicate sold over one lakh bottles through The Theka, securing profit margins between 20 and 25 per cent while completely circumventing government tax collection protocols.
Agency scrutinizes supply chains, shell firms, and financial trails
The search proceedings covered residential and corporate premises of individuals connected to The Theka, which is operated by Ankush Goyal and his business partners, alongside foreign liquor suppliers, unauthorized vendors, and logistics handlers. Investigators are reviewing seized ledgers and electronic communications to reconstruct the supply chain from warehousing hubs to retail counters.
Officials are analyzing the money trail to identify primary financial beneficiaries, isolate accounts used to divert profits, and evaluate the involvement of related shell entities. The Enforcement Directorate noted that further investigation into the network remains underway to unearth the wider interstate links of the operation.
