Bengaluru: Karnataka experienced a surge in liquor sales, with a total of Rs 716.58 crore worth of alcohol sold between December 28 and the afternoon of December 31, according to data from the Federation of Wine Merchants Association Karnataka.

The sales included 6.97 lakh carton boxes of beer and 11.05 lakh carton boxes of Indian Made Liquor (IML), totaling 18.03 lakh carton boxes, as reported by Deccan Herald.

IML sales accounted for Rs 577.75 crore, while beer sales contributed Rs 138.33 crore to the overall figure.

The state has also seen a year-on-year growth of 4.63 percent in liquor sales revenue between April and December 2024, though the figures revealed some volatility in month-to-month performance. For instance, liquor sales dipped by 9.86 percent in July and 11.78 percent in December, while May and September saw sharp increases of about 27 percent each.

The lacklustre performance in December, despite the festive period, could be attributed to New Year’s Eve falling on a weekday in 2024, compared to a Sunday in 2023. The report added that factors such as the timing of holidays and people leaving the city to celebrate in their home state contribute to the fluctuations in month-wise sales.

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Gurugram (PTI): The Gurugram Police has busted an alleged tyre-theft gang that was active in the city for the past two months, police said on Saturday.

Four students from different colleges were arrested for allegedly stealing tyres and rims of vehicles parked outside houses and hotels during the night, police said, adding that the accused squandered the proceeds of theft on lavish escapades at clubs.

According to an official, the accused have confessed to 14 cases of tyre and rim thefts, and all four have been taken on a two-day police remand after being produced in court.

The accused were identified as Rishikesh (23), a chartered accountancy student from sector-39 Jharsa; Arjun (22), a native of Siwana village in Jhajjar studying BA (LLB) at Baba Mastnath University, Rohtak; Piyush Rana (23), resident of Jodhpur village in Palwal and a student of B Com in Gurugram University; and Tushar Kumar (22), a native of Bihar's Munger and a B Com student of DSD college, Gurugram.

According to the police, a crime branch team nabbed the gang on Friday.

A senior investigating officer said, during interrogation, the accused revealed that they would go out at night in a blue Maruti Suzuki Fronx car belonging to Arjun.

They would park the car near the target vehicle and, using a jack and other tools, removed the tyres, including the rims. Then, they would leave the vehicle on bricks and load the stolen tyres on to the Fronx before fleeing, the officer added.

The vehicle used in the crimes will be impounded soon, a Gurugram Police spokesperson said.

"During interrogation, the accused revealed that they are childhood friends and have studied together. All of them are fond of parties and clubs, and began stealing when they couldn't get pocket money from home. They had been actively involved in thefts for the past two months," he added.