Gujarat: 7,164 liquor bottles valued at Rs 26.81 lakh seized
Ahmedabad, Aug 15 (IANS) Bagodra Police in Ahmedabad Rural district seized 7,164 bottles of Indian-made foreign liquor (IMFL) valued at Rs 26.81 lakh from a truck during vehicle checking at the Bagodra toll plaza, police said on Saturday.
The total value of the seized liquor, vehicle and other items was estimated at Rs 41.94 lakh.
The seizure was made in the following directions to curb illegal activities related to prohibition and gambling in Ahmedabad Rural.
Police Inspector H.C. Gohil and personnel from Bagodra Police Station were checking vehicles at the toll plaza when Constable Jaydeepsinh Bhupatsinh received information about liquor being transported in a truck bearing number plate of Uttar Pradesh.
Acting on the information, the police intercepted and searched the truck. They found 342 boxes containing 7,164 company-sealed glass and plastic bottles of IMFL.
The liquor was valued at Rs 26,81,088, while the truck was valued at Rs 15 lakh. Police also seized a mobile phone valued at Rs 5,000, taking the total value of the seized property to Rs 41,94,708.
Police arrested Mohammad Ayub Nizamuddin Sheikh, 50, a resident of Pratapgarh in Uttar Pradesh, in connection with the case.
Police said they were also looking for Rohit Sharma, a resident of Basti in Uttar Pradesh, who allegedly supplied the liquor.
Another person, who allegedly ordered the consignment and whose identity and whereabouts are not known, was also being traced along with others who may emerge during the investigation.
The operation was carried out under the supervision of senior officials. The Bagodra seizure comes amid a series of liquor seizures in Gujarat, where prohibition remains in force.
On August 13, the State Monitoring Cell seized around 31,836 bottles of IMFL and beer, valued at about Rs 1.20 crore, from a truck near the Budhanpur toll plaza in Vav-Tharad.
The total value of the seized property, including the vehicle, was reported at around Rs 1.32 crore.
In another recent case, Ahmedabad Rural Police seized 18,000 IMFL bottles worth Rs 1.04 crore near the Vataman-Bagodara highway. The liquor was allegedly concealed beneath sacks of onions in a truck.
Police said further investigation into the Bagodra case is under way to establish the source and intended destination of the consignment and identify the remaining accused.
–IANS
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