EOU FIR Muzaffarpur: The then SHO of Sakra and an Inspector under the ambit of action. file photo
Jagran correspondent, Muzaffarpur/Patna. Muzaffarpur Scorpio Auction Scam: Muzaffarpur district of Bihar has once again come into limelight regarding the issue of auction of liquor and vehicles. This time the matter is being considered more serious because even after the court order, irregularities were committed.
A major revelation has come to light in the case of a Scorpio seized with liquor not being freed despite clear orders of the court and later auctioned at a very low price.
On the instructions of Patna High Court, the Economic Offenses Unit (EOU) has registered an FIR against the then Excise Superintendent of Muzaffarpur, DSP East, then SHO of Sakra and an Inspector. The matter is related to the year 2020.
According to the FIR lodged in the EOU, the Scorpio car of Sushil Kumar Singh, resident of Mushahari, was seized with liquor from Sakra police station area in the year 2020. During the seizure, it was claimed that five bottles of foreign liquor were recovered from the vehicle.
After this the victim filed a petition in the Special Excise Court to get the vehicle released. Accepting the petition, the court ordered the police station incharge to release the vehicle, but despite the order the vehicle was not released.
Auction even after court order
After a lot of time, in March 2023, the court was informed that the vehicle had been confiscated by the state and auctioned. Against this, the victim filed an appeal and a revision petition in the excise department, but both were rejected. After this the victim approached the Patna High Court. During the hearing, the High Court found serious irregularities and registered an FIR against the EOU and ordered an investigation.
Scorpio worth Rs 12 lakh was sold for Rs 3.85 lakh
The fact came to light in the High Court hearing that Excise Court-1 had ordered the release of the vehicle on January 11, 2023. Despite this, neither the vehicle was released nor the order was followed. In contrast, Scorpio was auctioned on 31 March 2023.
The most surprising thing is that this Scorpio, purchased in the year 2018, was insured till January 2022 and its price was estimated to be around Rs 12 lakh 12 thousand, whereas it was sold in the auction for only Rs 3.85 lakh. That means the vehicle was auctioned at around 30 percent of the insured value.
Question on use of vehicle by DSP East also
The High Court also mentioned in its order that from December 2020 to March 2023, the said Scorpio was being used by the then DSP East. The court considered this also a serious irregularity and raised questions on the intentions of the officials.
Fear of racket in auction of 490 vehicles
During the hearing of the case, the High Court found that 490 vehicles were auctioned in a similar manner. In the auction, facts of eight vehicles being purchased by a single person and 4-5 vehicles being purchased by several people came to light. In view of this, the court has directed the Economic Offenses Unit to conduct a detailed investigation separately, suspecting a racket in the auction process.
Now that the entire matter has gone to the court of EOU, it is believed that the entire game behind this will be revealed to everyone. The real culprits of the rules which were ignored in the name of auctioning the vehicles seized during liquor seizure, will be exposed. His face will be exposed.