Liquor smuggling kingpin, 3 others held

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, January 12

As part of “Operation Red Rose”, the Excise Department have nabbed a kingpin and three others over a week-long operation against liquor smugglers involved in filling cheap brands in scotch bottles in the Zirakpur area.

Rajat Agarwal, IAS Excise Commissioner, and Moneesh Chawla, IG-Crime, said alleged kingpin Jatinder Pal Singh alias JP was arrested on the intervening night of January 4 and 5. The disclosure was made today so that investigations were not hampered.

They said the raiding police and excise teams caught Jatinder and his accomplices red-handed while unloading some cartons from a bus in Zirakpur. The team found 80 empty bottles and 55 mono cartons of Black Label, 10 empty bottles of Red Label, 35 lid caps, 30 labels and 100 unused caps of Chivas Regal. The team also recovered the car of the accused from the spot with six cases of Red Label and two cases of Black Label.

Later, the team raided Jatinder’s residence and recovered 11 bottles of filled Black Label, 12 empty bottles of All Season and 12 bottles of 555 Gold. They also raided the godown-cum-residence of Jatinder and Vijay Kumar at Jamuna Enclave, Zirakpur, and recovered huge cache of empty bottles.

Officials said the accused admitted that he smuggled cheap liquor brands from Chandigarh-based contractor Ashu Goel and procured empty bottles, caps and other material from Delhi. The accused were hand in glove with one Gupreet Sidhu of Zirakpur, who was also arrested.