Vadodara, Feb 1 (IANS): In a crackdown on illegal liquor trade, the Vadodara Rural Local Crime Branch (LCB) in Gujarat has seized 597 boxes of foreign liquor valued at Rs 38.98 lakh from a container on the Vadodara-Savli road.
The police have arrested the container driver and another person, and a complaint has been registered at Manjusar police station. Acting on a tip-off, the LCB team set up surveillance on the Vadodara-Savli road. During their patrol within the Manjusar police station limits, officials intercepted a suspicious container.
Upon inspection, they discovered the liquor consignment and immediately detained the driver Mohammad Shadab Amjad Ali Khan and Arbaaz Shakeel Ansari, both residents of Bhiwandi, Maharashtra.
In addition to the Rs 38.98 lakh worth of liquor, the police also seized the container vehicle and mobile phones, bringing the total value of confiscated goods to Rs 49.08 lakh. The arrested individuals have been booked under prohibition laws, and further investigations are underway.
The operation, led by Unarmed Head Constable Devraj Singh, marks another success in Vadodara Rural LCB’s ongoing efforts to curb the illegal liquor trade. Authorities have intensified patrols across the district, ensuring strict enforcement of prohibition laws.
In the two years leading up to March 2023, authorities seized illicit liquor and drugs valued at over Rs 6,400 crore. This includes Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) worth Rs 197.56 crore, locally brewed liquor valued at Rs 3.99 crore, and beer bottles amounting to Rs 10.51 crore.
In the three years up to March 2024, the police confiscated approximately 1.85 crore bottles of foreign liquor and over 20 lakh bottles of beer. One prominent route involves the transport of illegal liquor over a 400 to 500 km stretch, traversing the coastal line from the Union Territory of Daman to Palghar in Maharashtra, then veering through the hills of Palghar to reach Nashik city or its outskirts. This path leverages the hilly and dense forest terrain in northern Maharashtra, providing cover from law enforcement agencies.