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Lucknow, Nov 1 (IANS) The Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF) has arrested a member of an interstate liquor smuggling network and seized 575 boxes of Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) from a truck on Kisan Path in Lucknow.
The value of the seized liquor has been estimated to be around Rs 75 lakh.
According to the STF, the consignment was being taken to Darbhanga in Bihar via Chandigarh and was reportedly to be used during the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections.
The arrested accused has been identified as Vishvendra, resident of Chimni village under Beri police station of Jhajjar district of Haryana.
Acting on a tip-off, the STF team set up a checkpoint in PGI police station area and stopped a container truck with fake number plates. During inspection, liquor cartons were hidden among the sacks of urea fertilizer. A mobile phone was also recovered from the truck.
The operation was led by STF Deputy Superintendent of Police Vimal Kumar Singh under the supervision of Inspector Mahabir Singh. The team included Inspector Deepak Singh, Rizwan, Munsif Amin Shamsher Singh, Bhupendra Singh and constables Ankit Singh and Ankit Pandey.
Officials said that the STF team was patrolling in Lucknow when reliable sources informed them about a truck laden with liquor. With the help of local police the truck was surrounded and stopped.
During interrogation, the accused confessed to being part of the smuggling gang run by Sonu Rathi, Gurneet Singh Gogia and Atul. This gang has been supplying liquor from Haryana and Punjab to Bihar via Chandigarh.
A hidden space was created inside the truck – one side was filled with 210 fertilizer sacks and the other side was filled with cartons of different brands of liquor. As per the instructions of the gang, the consignment was to be handed over to a contact in Darbhanga. The accused revealed that he was paid Rs 1 lakh for each delivery trip.
Preliminary investigation suggests that the seized liquor was meant for illegal use during Bihar elections, where liquor smuggling is rampant despite prohibition in the state.
A case has been registered at the PGI police station in Lucknow, and STF officials said efforts are on to trace other members of the gang and intensify the crackdown on such smuggling operations.
–IANS
BRT/and