1,025 cases of smuggled liquor seized

Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, April 26

The police made a big haul of smuggled liquor with the seizure of 1,025 cases from a closed-body truck (bearing registration No. HR 38T 4611) which was stopped for checking in the wee hours on Sunday near the Janta Nagar cut on the basis of a tip-off by a police party comprising Inspector Yash Pal Sharma, in-charge, anti-smuggling cell/CIA-3, and ASI Kashmir Singh, along with officials of the Excise Department.

While the driver of the truck and his assistant managed to give the police the slip by taking advantage of the darkness, search of the abandoned truck led to the recovery of 500 cases (each carrying 12 bottles of 750 ml) of McDowell No 1 whisky, 300 cases of McDowell No 1 whisky (each carrying 48 nips of 180 ml), 75 cases (each carrying 12 bottles of 750 ml) of Royal Challenge whisky and 150 cases (each carrying 48 nips of 180 ml) of Royal Challenge whisky.

The police have impounded the truck carrying the illicit liquor and the unidentified accused have been booked under Sections 61, 78(2), 1 and 14 of the Excise Act at the Division No. 6 police station. The police have launched search operations to apprehend the accused who are behind the big racket of liquor smuggling.

In another incident, the police arrested Ashwani Kumar, a resident of Jawahar Nagar Camp, on a tip-off that the accused was indulging in smuggling of illicit liquor and had stored liquor under a staircase at his house. In a raid, the police seized 60 nips of XXX Dollar rum from his house. He has been booked under Sections 61, 1 and 14 of the Excise Act.