‘Yeh Dekhiye Khazana’: 316 Whisky Bottles Found in AC Duct of Lucknow–Barauni Express
‘Yeh Dekhiye Khazana’: 316 Whisky Bottles Found in AC Duct of Lucknow–Barauni Express
Railway staffer arrested after viral video exposes smuggling attempt on dry-route train
Passengers on the Lucknow–Barauni Express (15204) were in for a shock when a routine complaint about poor air-conditioning led to the discovery of 316 bottles of whisky hidden inside the AC duct of an AC-2 tier coach.
The incident came to light after passengers alerted staff at Burhwal Junction about low cooling. When a technician inspected the duct above berths 32 and 34, he found it crammed with paper-wrapped bottles of Officer’s Choice and After Dark Blue whisky — amounting to nearly 57 litres in total. The stash was allegedly being smuggled by coach attendant Ashish Kumar to Bihar, where liquor is banned.
A video of the recovery, first posted on Reddit’s r/IndianRailways community and later widely shared on X, shows the technician pulling out the bottles as stunned passengers looked on. The illicit consignment was seized at Basti station by Government Railway Police (GRP) and Railway Protection Force (RPF) teams.
Responding to the viral clip, RailwaySeva escalated the matter to the Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) of Sonpur, who issued an apology: “We regret the inconvenience caused to passengers. The illicit liquor was seized by the appropriate authorities and the cooling issue was resolved afterwards. We are thankful for bringing the issue to our notice.”
Authorities confirmed that the accused has been arrested and further investigation is underway.
