Baghpat (UP), Jan 30 (IANS): A truck full of fake liquor, meant to be distributed ahead of the upcoming Assembly election, was seized in Uttar Pradesh's Baghpat by the state police's Special Task Force on Sunday and five persons arrested, officials said.

A senior police official said that the accused were identified as Pawan, Sachin, Udham, Deepak, and Amit.

"They told us that due to Assembly elections, the demand of liquor has gone up and they were supplying fake liquor after putting original labels on the bottles to earn huge profits," the official.

As many as 820 boxes of liquor, and the truck, as well as a car, five cell phones and 75 sacks of puffed rice, were seized.

On the modus operandi, the accused had made a special iron net, put the boxes of liquor below it, and covered the net with sacks of puffed rice and fodder.

The official said that soon after the announcement of Assembly elections the police were given instructions to put a tight vigil to prevent inter-state liquor smuggling. The police had also launched a special drive to nab all the wanted and notorious criminals of UP.A

The Meerut unit of STF got specific input about the liquor smuggling from nearby state. This information was developed and a team set up to bust it.

The team got to know that the liquor was being brought from Haryana and was about to be supplied in Baghpat and nearby areas.

The team got a tip off that the accused persons would be coming to Pilana village by truck, laid a trap at Baghpat-Meerut road near Pilana T point and arrested the accused.

The accused told the police that they took the supply from Haryana's Sonipat area and it was meant to be delivered at the office of Sunil Bhagat in Baghpat.