Power of Excise Officer to search without a warrant

Whenever any Excise Officer not below such rank as the State Government may by notification, specify, has reason to believe that an offence punishable under section 45, section 48, section 54, or section 55 has ‘been , is being, or is likely to be, committed or abetted, and that a search warrant cannot be obtained without affording the offender an opportunity of escaping or of concealing evidence of the offence, he may, after recording the grounds of his belief, at any time by day or night enter and search any place, and may seize anything found therein which he has reason to believe to be liable to confiscation under this Act; together or with any document which may furnish evidence of the commission of the alleged offence, and may detain and search, and if he thinks proper, arrest, any person found in such place whom he has reason to believe to have committed or abetted any such offence as aforesaid.