Bihar alcohol ban fuels secret liquor code as youth couriers deliver coded bottles

Codes like pure milk can mean real liquor

Despite a decade-old alcohol ban, Bihar’s drinking hasn’t disappeared—it has gone underground. Traders use coded terms like “pure milk” and “sonapapdi” to mask liquor deals, with young couriers making discreet deliveries. The illegal trade is estimated in the thousands of crores, and enforcement struggles as smuggling tactics grow more inventive.