- Gujarat police seized 28,704 bottles of illegal liquor hidden in an oxygen tanker trunk
- The haul's street value was estimated at Rs 64,65,024 during the Vadodara highway interception
- Driver Rekharam Motaram Jat from Rajasthan was arrested and handed to local authorities
In a major operation in dry state Gujarat, police have seized a massive contraband of liquor illegally entering the state hidden in an industrial oxygen tanker trunk.
The State Monitoring Cell of Gujarat Police, acting on a tip-off, found a staggering haul of 28,704 bottles and cans of Indian made foreign liquor, carrying a street value of Rs 64,65,024.
The incident happened on the highway stretching from Dena Chokdi to Golden Chokdi, falling under the jurisdiction of the Harni Police Station in Vadodara City. Cops have arrested the driver of the commercial tanker, identified as Rekharam Motaram Jat from Jalore, Rajasthan. He has been handed over to local authorities.
According to officials, the illicit liquor truck was trying to enter Vadodara from Maharashtra when cops intercepted it.
The smugglers went to extreme lengths to ensure the safe delivery of the consignment, officials said. Realising that industrial gas transports are treated as critical supply chains, they filled the front compartment of the tanker with compressed gas cylinders. This way, even if border police tapped the valves or checked the gauges in the front, everything would seem legitimate.
The unidentified accused hid the massive stash of liquor in a secret compartment behind the industrial gas cylinders.
Authorities have seized the entire load of liquor and have registered a case multiple sections of the Prohibition Act, including 65(A)(E), 81, 83, 98(2), and 116(B).
Police have further launched an investigation into the incident to locate four accused persons, including the owner of the tanker, the original suppliers in Maharashtra and the receiver of the consignment in Vadodara.
