Kasaragod: Excise Department seized 198.72 litres of Indian-made foreign liquor (IMFL) at Kumaramangala in Kasaragod's Bela village Wednesday night.

Acting on a tip-off from the Excise Intelligence Bureau, officers of Kasaragod Excise Range reached Kumaramangala around 9 pm and saw three men shifting cases of liquor from a car to an autorickshaw. On seeing the officers, the men escaped, said an official.

Excise officials, led by Kasaragod Range Assistant Excise Inspector Joseph J, found 19 cases of liquor in the car and four cases in the autorickshaw. Each case had 48 aseptic cartons measuring 180ml each. These liquor were to be sold only in Karnataka.

They have impounded the car and the autorickshaw. An abkari case has been registered against one Aneesh P in connection with the seizure, said Joseph. The department is searching for the three men who are at large.