Ahmedabad, June 10 (SocialNews.XYZ) The Gujarat State Monitoring Cell (SMC) seized Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) worth more than Rs 1.49 crore during a prohibition raid on the Vadodara-Ahmedabad Express Highway near Bibipura village in Ahmedabad Rural, officials said on Wednesday.
The operation was carried out during the night of June 9-10 near Bibipura in Daskroi taluka.
Acting on specific information, an SMC team led by Police Inspector Y.J. Rathod intercepted a Tata truck allegedly transporting a large consignment of liquor into the state in violation of Gujarat's prohibition laws.
According to officials, the team recovered 1,300 boxes containing 49,224 bottles of IMFL valued at Rs 1,49,22,312. Police also seized the truck, valued at Rs 25 lakh, and a mobile phone worth Rs 5,000.
The total value of the seized property has been estimated at Rs 1,74,27,512. A case has been registered under Sections 65(A)(E), 81, 83, 98(2) and 116(B) of the Gujarat Prohibition Act, along with Sections 336 and 339 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023.
The truck driver, identified as Iqbalkhan Khan, a resident of Morad village in Dudu tehsil of Rajasthan's Jaipur district, was arrested and handed over to Vivekanand Nagar Police Station for further investigation.
Police have also named three wanted accused in the case.
They include alleged liquor supplier Surendra Gurjar, the owner of the truck used for transportation and an unidentified person in Rajkot who was allegedly meant to receive the consignment.
Investigators are working to trace the supply chain and identify others involved in the interstate smuggling network.
The seizure is among several major prohibition-related operations carried out in Gujarat in recent months.
Earlier this month, the State Monitoring Cell seized liquor worth more than Rs 1.51 crore near Bharudi village in Rajkot district and arrested a truck driver after intercepting a consignment containing 41,580 bottles of IMFL. The total value of the property seized in that case exceeded Rs 1.81 crore.
In another significant crackdown in January, police across central Gujarat seized liquor worth more than Rs two crore in a series of operations in Mahisagar, Vadodara and Panchmahal districts.
The largest haul involved liquor valued at nearly Rs 97.4 lakh recovered from a truck on the Indore-Ahmedabad highway.
According to figures disclosed in the Gujarat Legislative Assembly earlier this year, authorities seized liquor worth Rs 38.89 crore at border check-posts with Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh up to January 25, highlighting the continuing challenge of liquor smuggling in the prohibition state.
Source: IANS
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