The Ahmedabad Crime Branch and the Prevention of Crime Branch (PCB) seized a large quantity of foreign liquor in two separate raids carried out at Navrangpura and Sabarmati Railway Station.
In the Navrangpura raid, the Crime Branch, acting on a tip-off, intercepted a car carrying an illegal liquor consignment. Two accused—Altaf Hussain Shaikh, a resident of Delhi Darwaja, and Rajesh Lohiya from Old Vadaj—were caught during the operation. Shaikh was found transporting the liquor to deliver it to Lohiya. The police recovered 1,000 bottles of foreign liquor and four boxes of beer from their vehicle.
During their interrogation, it was revealed that the liquor was brought from Rajasthan and was supplied to a man named Jaydeep in Gomtipur and Pappu Bhil in Madhupura, before another delivery in Navrangpura.
In a separate incident, Inspector J P Jadeja of the PCB received a tip-off about Kalu Desai and Prakash Od, who were allegedly sourcing liquor bottles from Rajasthan and transporting them in rickshaws for distribution to bootleggers.
Based on this intel, police apprehended three individuals carrying four pieces of luggage, along with Desai and Od. On inspecting the luggage, police discovered 228 liquor bottles hidden inside clothes.
These bottles were reportedly brought from Rajasthan by three individuals named Omram Jat, Sataram Jat, and Dedaram Jat. Desai and Od were paying them a commission for this task.
It was also revealed that Desai and his associates had used this modus operandi, previously as well.
According to the media report, Preliminary investigations suggest that two railway employees, Devraj and Nitesh, were also allegedly helping them in the operation.