Lucknow, July 30 - Officials conducting raids to recover spurious liquor in Uttar Pradesh had to leave the exercise midway when some women involved in the illegal business reportedly stripped off in front of them, officials said Thursday.

Acting on a tip-off that several illicit liquor manufacturing units were running in Devidas village of Muzaffarnagar district, a 25 member team of the excise department went there to conduct raids Wednesday evening. However, a group of women began stripping before them.

'It was a major embarrassment for all of us...At that time we had no other option but stop the raids and move away,' Excise Inspector Alok Sharma told reporters in Muzaffarnagar, about 350 km from here.

Since the officials thought the women could falsely implicate them on charges of molestation, they decided not to conduct the raids and left the spot. They informed the police about the incident.

'Police have assured us that they will provide women cops for carrying out raids in the area,' said Sharma.