Massive Liquor Seizure in Ahmedabad: Over ₹1 Crore Worth of Foreign Alcohol Confiscated
Significant Operation by Crime Branch
Ahmedabad, March 17: In a significant crackdown, the Prevention of Crime Branch (PCB) has confiscated a substantial shipment of foreign liquor valued at over ₹1.08 crore in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. The operation led to the arrest of the driver involved, as confirmed by officials on Tuesday.
The enforcement action occurred late Monday night near the Sutar Factory Bridge in the Naroda locality of the city.
According to police reports, the PCB had been monitoring intelligence that indicated a container was making its way from Haryana through Rajasthan to Ahmedabad, expected to traverse the Naroda Ring Road near the bridge.
Upon the container's arrival, officers conducted a stop for inspection. The driver, identified as Mangiram Jat from Sadpura village in Rajasthan, was asked to provide documentation for the cargo.
He presented a document claiming the shipment contained bicycles. However, officers, suspecting the authenticity of the document, opened the container and discovered it filled with cartons of foreign liquor.
The container was subsequently taken to the Naroda Police Station, where a case was filed against the driver under the Gujarat Prohibition Act.
Authorities reported recovering approximately 23,232 bottles packed in 892 boxes, with an estimated total value of ₹1,08,11,184.
Additionally, the driver’s mobile phone, valued at ₹10,000, cash amounting to ₹1,450, and the container itself, worth around ₹20 lakh, were seized, bringing the total value of confiscated items to ₹1,28,22,634.
An official stated that this operation is part of the ongoing efforts by city police to combat illegal liquor trade within the state.
Investigations by the PCB are ongoing to ascertain if there are additional individuals involved in the smuggling operation.
Despite Gujarat's long-standing prohibition laws, authorities have reported frequent seizures of large quantities of liquor in recent years.
In the last two years, government data presented in the State Legislative Assembly indicated that liquor worth over ₹38.89 crore was confiscated at checkposts along the state's borders with Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, involving more than 10 lakh bottles of foreign liquor and over 1.59 lakh bottles of beer.
More than 1,000 individuals have been arrested in connection with these seizures.
Previous operations in Ahmedabad and nearby areas have also yielded significant recoveries. A recent police operation in the Narol area uncovered over 10,749 bottles of foreign liquor concealed beneath a load of helmets in a truck, with an estimated value exceeding ₹63 lakh.
In another enforcement initiative ahead of Diwali, city police seized liquor worth ₹2.06 crore from two locations in the city as part of efforts to uphold the state's prohibition laws.