Despite Bihar's total prohibition law, a fresh liquor smuggling incident has come to light from Kaimur district, where villagers were allegedly seen wading into a roadside ditch on Tuesday, 3 November 2026 to collect liquor pouches from a submerged vehicle — reportedly while police personnel stood at the scene. A video of the incident has since surfaced, raising pointed questions about enforcement on the state's border with Uttar Pradesh.

How the Incident Unfolded

According to eyewitness Anand Singh, a white car bearing a Gurugram (Haryana) registration number — reportedly entering Bihar from Uttar Pradesh — suddenly caught fire while passing through the Mohania police station area. Fearing arrest, the occupants allegedly grabbed a bottle from the vehicle, pushed it into a water-filled roadside ditch and fled through a nearby canal route before police arrived.

A police team from Mohania police station subsequently reached the spot and began retrieving the vehicle with help from local residents. During the recovery operation, a large quantity of liquor — packed in small pouches designed to resemble Frooti juice packets — reportedly spilled into the water. As the pouches floated to the surface, several villagers allegedly jumped in and began collecting them.

What Police Said — And What the Video Shows

Police officer Yogendra Kumar, present at the spot, confirmed that the car had caught fire and been pushed into the ditch, and that liquor was recovered from it. He stated that the occupants had fled before his team arrived. Mohania Station House Officer Mukesh Kumar acknowledged that some villagers had picked up liquor packets but maintained that police subsequently recovered them, insisting that 'nobody managed to take away any liquor.'

However, the purported video — which appears to show people carrying liquor packets away with police personnel visible in the frame — directly contradicts the official account. The footage has circulated widely and drawn sharp scrutiny of the police version of events.

The Smuggling Route Under Scrutiny

This is far from an isolated incident. Bihar's borders with Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand have repeatedly emerged as active smuggling corridors since Chief Minister Nitish Kumar enforced a blanket prohibition in April 2016. Contraband is frequently disguised in packaging mimicking consumer goods — a pattern this case appears to follow, with pouches fashioned to look like packaged fruit drinks. Notably, the use of a vehicle with an out-of-state registration is consistent with earlier smuggling operations where traffickers exploit registration gaps to reduce scrutiny at border checkpoints.

Seizures and Next Steps

The damaged vehicle and the remaining quantity of liquor have been seized and brought to Mohania police station. No arrests of the car's occupants have been reported as of Tuesday. The police said investigations are under way and further legal proceedings are in process. Given the video evidence in circulation, pressure is likely to mount on the district administration to clarify the role — and response — of the officers present at the scene.