India, Dec. 16 -- Days after the excise department seized nearly 42,000 bottles of foreign liquor allegedly smuggled into India, officials have begun auditing licensed liquor vends across Gurugram to uncover the full network behind the operation and determine how duty-evaded alcohol entered the retail market, officials said.

The move follows a major raid at a Gurugram liquor shop, "The Theka," where enforcement teams seized 3,921 cartons and 176 bottles of imported liquor after receiving a tip-off from a liquor trader, police said. They added that the most of the bottles lacked mandatory holograms and track-and-trace strips, indicating that customs and excise duties had been bypassed. The seized stock included premium scotch and luxury v...