'Bootleggers paid lakhs to avoid police interference'

SURAT: Greed to make few quick bucks seems to have claimed lives of 22 persons in the Surat hooch tragedy. Sources close to the nexus between the Surat rural cops and

bootleggers

has revealed that few lakhs were paid on monthly basis by the accused bootleggers to individuals who helped them operate without police interference. These individuals are operating in Surat city and rural areas with support of some cops.

Sources have revealed that Ramu Yadav, the prime accused in the hooch tragedy, was paying around Rs 3 lakh every month to couple of individuals who claimed to have acted on behalf of some police personnel. They said that

Yadav

used to purchase country liquor brewed by small time brewers around

Kadodara

and then sold it to his regular clients.

The entire process of making, collecting and distributing the liquor involves several people and hours that cannot go unnoticed by police. "Ramu was operating from Balaji Nagar in Kadodara and the entire area was aware about the illegal liquor business," said a police sources.

Similarly, bootleggers Padma, her husband Jitu alias Jitendra Chaudhary and Rukmani Reddy were also paying monthly charges to some individuals who claimed to have acted on behalf of some cops, said police sources.

They added that along with local police stations like Kapodra and Puna they were paying these monthly charges to individuals who have claimed good contacts in detection of crime branch (

DCB

) and prevention of crime branch (PCB). Padma, who allegedly has affair with a notorious cop, was paying over Rs 1.50 lakh to different persons while Rukmani was paying Rs 75,000.

Padma, Jitu and Rukmani were detained by DCB during course of investigation after deaths in Limbayat and Puna police station area. However, cops could not get details of those who were on 'payroll' of these bootleggers. "These accused are now with

ATS

investigation team. Meanwhile, we have no details about who were paid by them. There are no details available if cops were paid," said J H Dahiya, police inspector, DCB.

Similarly, PCB that is equally responsible for prevention of crime branch is also not aware about the nexus between cops and bootleggers. "We have not come across any such information yet and it needs to be investigated," said Z R Desai, police inspector, PCB.