Patna, Nov 9 (IANS): In a major crackdown, police and Excise Department officials seized 496 cartons liquor, valued at Rs 13 lakh from a truck in Bihar's Banka on Tuesday.

The sleuths have also arrested the truck driver, Mukesh Singh, a native of Uttar Pradesh's Azamgarh, Uttar Pradesh. He was transporting liquor consignment in a vehicle having a Haryana number and the liquor made of Himachal Pradesh.

SDPO, Banka, D.K. Srivastava said: "The Excise Department officials of Patna gathered the information about a suspicious truck two days ago. Accordingly, we had been alerted about the movement of the vehicle. We had detected a truck at Dalkola-Bhagalpur main road and the vehicle was heading towards Bhagalpur. We intercepted the vehicle at Rajaun block."

"During checking of the vehicle, the liquor was found. We have seized 4,393 litres of IMFL worth Rs 13 lakh," he said.

"The matter is under investigation to find out receiver of the liquor consignment in Bihar," he said.

Bihar Police is on high alert ever since liquor tragedies happened in four districts -Muzaffarpur, Gopalganj, Bettiah, and Samastipur, claiming more than 50 lives, while over three dozen persons are lost their eyesight in last 13 days.