Viral Video shows Illicit Liquor hidden in AC Duct of Lucknow–Barauni Express; Railways responds

August 14, 2025

New Delhi: A video allegedly showing a consignment of illicit liquor hidden inside the air-conditioning duct of the Lucknow–Barauni Express has gone viral on social media, prompting a swift response from Indian Railways.

The clip, first shared on Reddit’s r/IndianRailways forum, claims that passengers had complained of poor cooling in one of the AC coaches. When technicians inspected the duct, they reportedly discovered several packages of liquor concealed inside.

“Passengers complained of low cooling in the AC coach of Lucknow–Barauni Express. When the technicians inspected the AC duct, a consignment of illicit liquor was being hidden there,” read the caption accompanying the viral post.

Footage circulating on X (formerly Twitter) shows a railway technician pulling out multiple packages from the duct as passengers watched in shock.

Passengers complained of low cooling in the AC coach of Lucknow-Barauni Express. When the technicians inspected the AC duct, consignment of a illict liquor was being hidden there.

Tecnologia! pic.twitter.com/Qad9Uis9dO

— Piyush Rai (@Benarasiyaa) August 14, 2025

Responding to the video, the official RailwaySeva account on X stated that the matter had been “escalated to the concerned official @drm_sonpur” for necessary action. The Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) of Sonpur later issued an apology, confirming that the illicit liquor had been seized by authorities and that the air-conditioning issue was subsequently resolved.

“We regret the inconvenience caused to passengers. The illicit liquor was seized by the appropriate authorities and the cooling issue was resolved afterwards. We are thankful for bringing the issue to our notice,” the DRM’s statement read.

The incident has raised questions about security checks on passenger trains and how such consignments manage to bypass scrutiny. Authorities have yet to disclose how the packages were placed in the duct or identify those responsible.