THANE, Dec. 16 -- The Thane unit of the State Excise Department on Monday seized a large consignment of illegally transported liquor worth Rs.1.82 crore and arrested one person in connection with the case. With Christmas and New Year celebrations approaching, gangs involved in the supply of spurious liquor packaged in bottles of popular brands have once again become active, prompting heightened enforcement by the department. Acting on specific intelligence, officials of Flying Squad No. 1 intercepted a suspicious tempo on the Navi Mumbai-Thane Road near Mahape at around 9.40am. The vehicle, registered in Karnataka, matched the description provided to the excise team and was stopped for inspection. During a thorough search, officials found 1,550 boxes of foreign-made liquor manufactured in Goa that were being illegally transported into Maharashtra. The consignment was seized and the tempo used for transportation was also confiscated. The total value of the seized liquor and the vehicle has been estimated at Rs.1,82,26,500. The driver, identified as Bhagirathram Hiraram Godara, was arrested on the spot. Excise inspector S R Misal said that several cases of duplicate liquor seizures have been reported in recent weeks. "In this case, locally manufactured liquor from Goa was filled in bottles labelled 'Royal Blue'," Misal said....