Letâs be frank here, guys. 

Given tough circumstances, itâs pretty natural for us to split a pitcher with the lads and maybe down a solitary scotch (or three). Yet for most people stuck behind closed doors during the lockdown, alcohol remains a faraway fantasy, trapped behind locked liquor stores and barricaded bars and restaurants. 

If only there was a wayâ¦

Unless youâve got the conscience and sobriety of an angel, you might have wondered, just out of curiosity, of course... how hard is it to break into a liquor store, anyway? Fortunately for us rascals, a bunch of people decided to find out first hand. Quite a few bunches, actually.

Devoid of booze, several Indians across the nation have broken into liquor stores and made off with dizzying amounts of bootlegger booty - lakh upon lakh worth of rum, vodka and whiskey have been âredistributedâ and left cops and shop owners stunned and furious. 

Perhaps even more astounding is that many of these thefts have been just for liquor - the crooks left cash registers untouched in several cases, according to police.

Here are a few of the most ridiculous liquor thefts to have hit India since the lockdown began - just donât get too inspired:

1. Mandya, Karnataka

© Wikimedia

High Score: Rs. 5 Lakh

You heard that right - just to put things into perspective, 5 Lakh can get you somewhere in the ballpark of one thousand, two hundred and fifty bottles of Old Monk. Let that sink in. 

During this fateful night in early April, three stores were robbed in Karnatakaâs âSugar Cityâ - two of which were looted by the same group, according to local police. 

Apparently the thieves broke in by cutting open the shopâs window grills. A delegation of Mandyaâs liquor store owners soon approached top officials with a simple request - either provide security or lift the ban ASAP.

2.  Narasaraopet, Andhra Pradesh

© Wikimedia

High Score: Rs. 4.9 Lakh

While verifying CCTV footage after this shop was broken into on the 9th of April, officials found that store supervisor G. Prasant, watchman Yakob & Excise Dept. constable Satyanarayana were involved in the theft - making this a thorough inside job. 

While the masterminds remain at large, police have managed to recover 3.5 lakh in cash from the already-nabbed guilty parties involved.

3.  Hosahalli, Karnataka

© Cultural Trip

High Score: Rs. 4.18 Lakh

Situated a couple of hours away from Bengaluru, this scenic riverside town famous for betel nut farms, ancient temples and Vedic Hindu temples, recently made headlines for all the wrong reasons. 

Local liquor store owner K.G. Vijay Kumar was devastated earlier this week when booze burglars cracked open his shopâs shutters and made off with 25 cartons full of various kinds of liquor in both bottles and tetra packs. 

Upon police investigation, cops discovered that not only was a huge amount of alcohol missing - the thieves even covered their tracks by making off with both CCTV cameras and the camera receiver unit.

4.  Bellary, Karnataka

© Indian Rail

High Score: Rs. 35,000

Youâve probably noticed a pattern by now - as a Kannadiga myself, this is hardly surprising. 

While the Bellary burglary wasnât as high-yield as some of the others on this list, its perpetrators deserve a âspecial mentionâ because of their sheer audacity - instead of hitting a liquor store like normal criminals, these crooks broke into a government excise office where seized bootlegger liquor was stored. 

Adding insult to injury, this theft was committed at the perfect time too - April Fools Day.

5. Gandhi Nagar, Hyderabad

© DX News

High Score: Rs. 34,000

Weâve heard of lockpicking and breaking in through windows - but this crook was really thinking out of the box. 

According to the CCTV footage, our thief drilled a hole through the shopâs false ceiling, and seemingly used gloves, throwing the police off-track by not leaving behind any fingerprints. After breaking in, the culprit made off with Rs 26,000 worth of alcohol, along with Rs 8,000 in cash. Despicable.

While weâre in awe and shock at the level of tenacity these criminals displayed at getting their fix, itâs representative of a serious problem with alcohol in the nation. 

Apart from these states, similar crimes have been reported from Mumbai to Haryana and Delhi - making the lives of police officers harder than theyâve already been given the lockdown situation.

Police forces have been asked to take up extra patrol, especially in localities with wine shops. âItâs no surprise that when whole city centres are deserted, thieves are moving on from residential areas to unoccupied commercial properties. We have not been able to focus much on this aspect since the force is already stretched,â said a senior police officer in Bengaluru to The Times of India.

Hopefully, weâll be back to normal soon.

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