Haryana cops let kingpin’s trucks move freely

Mukesh Tandon

Tribune News Service

Panipat, May 25

For the past several years, Kharkhoda in Sonepat district was the transit point for liquor smugglers where police officials, including former SHO Jasbeer Singh, provided safe passage to trucks of kingpin Bhupender Singh of Sisana while misappropriating stocks by showing lower quantity seizures in official records.

Revelations by ASI

• Low-grade liquor from Rajpura distillery labelled as IMFL at kingpin’s godown & supplied to states with prohibition
• A portion of stocks seized was allegedly misappropriated by showing lower quantity of seizure in police records

This was revealed by ASI Jaipal, arrested by a special investigation team (SIT) from Rohtak, during his interrogation.

The ASI claimed he was obeying the orders of Inspector Jasbeer Singh, who was dismissed from service on Wednesday, to provide safe passage to Bhupender’s trucks, said Sonepat SP Jashandeep Singh Randhawa.

The police had allegedly seized 2,000 cases of liquor from a truck and booked the driver. However, only 1,100 cases were shown as seized in records for March. The ASI allegedly misappropriated the stock and kept 151 cases at another place. There was no mention of Bhupender in the FIR.

“We have seized a huge stock of liquor in bottles without labels from godowns of the kingpin,” the SP said. The low-grade liquor was brought directly from a distillery in Rajpura and labelled as branded IMFL at Bhupender’s godown, said the SP.

Dhirender Karya of Junagarh was Bhupender’s main supplier in Gujarat who allegedly managed cops there for unhindered supply of illicit liquor, he added. Bhupender travelled between Sonepat and Chandigarh to establish contact, while his brother Jitender and Satish managed the business of making fake labels of IMFL brands, he said.