Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala State Beverages Corporation (Bevco), the sole wholesale and retail seller of liquor in the state, is introducing a unique method to prevent theft of liquor bottles – installing an RFID (radio frequency identification) lock on them.

The lock will be fixed on bottles of brands costing above Rs 1,000, and it is planned to implement the measure on a trial basis at Bevco’s Power House outlet in Thiruvananthapuram, which led in sales and where theft of liquor worth Rs 60,000 was reported recently.

The bottles will be kept on the shelves with the lock attached. When a customer orders a particular brand, the employees at the outlet will open that lock and hand over the bottle to the buyer. If anyone tries to take the bottle out of the outlet without opening the lock, a sensor at the door would sound an alarm.

“After a one-month trial at the Power House outlet, the lock will be introduced in all premium outlets of Bevco across the state,” said Harshita Attaluri, Chairman and Managing Director of the corporation.

Bevco suffered a loss of liquor bottles worth Rs 4 lakh in recent weeks, as per complaints filed with the police alone. In yet another decision, Bevco will fix QR codes on bottles to prevent sales of spurious liquor, from April.