Crackdown on liquor

AHMEDABAD: In a knee-jerk reaction to the Surat hooch tragedy, which has claimed 21 lives, the

Gujarat

police launched a massive crackdown on liquor inflow in the state by arresting nearly 1,400 people and seizing Indian Made Foreign Liquor (

IMFL

) worth Rs 2.15 crore.

In the last 24 hours ending Tuesday 10 am, the state CID (crime) conducted three major raids and seized the IMFL stock, besides country liquor worth Rs 6.13 lakh. Police also seized 1.20 lakh litres of wash used to make country liquor in 2,303 cases.

Maximum arrests were made in the raids on country liquor with 1,346 people being held. According to officials, 155 cases of IMFL seizures were registered and 117 people were arrested. As many as 88,490 bottles of IMFL were seized from

Modasa

and Shamlaji in north Gujarat and Navsari near Surat.

"The seizures in Modasa and Shamlaji are related as the stock was sent by the notorious bootlegger Joginder Sharma. Two trucks were seized on the basis of information from Vantda toll booth near Modasa in which 1,439 boxes worth Rs 50 lakh were found.

At Shamlaji, three trucks were seized with 2,310 boxes worth Rs 1.08 crore. Police arrested Surjeetsingh Jat and Vishram Damor, drivers of the trucks, from the spot," said an official.

Officials said that the liquor was brought from Haryana-based distilleries and the stock was coming on behest of Joginder Sharma. It took police officials seven hours at Shamlaji and four hours at Modasa only to ascertain the quantity as truck and trailers full of crates of various brands were found.

The third raid took place near Valsad where police seized 580 boxes of beer worth Rs 13.92 lakh. Police have nabbed truck driver Salman who was bringing the liquor from Daman.

"The driver was asked to leave the truck at a designated spot after which another person would pick it up and deliver it to periphery of Surat. A supplier from Daman is named as an accused in the case," said an official. He added that two days ago a large consignment was also caught from near Vapi.