Online liquor purchase: Beware of fraudsters, say Mumbai police

Mumbai: Several people are on the prowl to dupe those looking to buy liquor online in Maharashtra amid the coronavirus-induced lockdown, and 73 mobile numbers used by these fraudsters have been identified by the cyber cell of Mumbai police, an official said on Friday.

The official said some people were not following the procedure set down by the state excise department to purchase liquor online and were calling up easily available numbers on the internet which promise delivery.

"Some of them have been duped by fraudsters operating these numbers," he said. The official added the Association of Progressive Retail Liquor Vendors (APRLV) was accepting cash on delivery rather than ask for online payments in order to curb such scams.

Liquor sales have been heavily regulated across the country since the lockdown was imposed on March 25 for the coronavirus outbreak, and most states, including Maharashtra, have preferred to go the online way for delivery as social distancing norms were flouted when shops opened physically.