The Sola High Court Police in Ahmedabad uncovered a major liquor smuggling racket after seizing Indian-made foreign liquor (IMFL) and beer worth ₹30.9 lakh, cleverly concealed in cartons labelled as hospital medicine bottles. Two men from Punjab were arrested, and goods worth a total of ₹50.9 lakh were confiscated during the raid.
Acting on a tip-off, the Sola High Court Police Surveillance Squad intercepted an Ashok Leyland truck near Gota Bridge on the S G Highway late Thursday night. Upon inspection, the vehicle was found carrying boxes marked as hospital supplies, which actually contained 5,520 bottles and tins of liquor of various brands.
The seized stock included:
- 840 whisky bottles (750 ml) worth ₹10.62 lakh
- 3,216 whisky bottles (180 ml) worth ₹10.45 lakh
- 600 whisky bottles (750 ml) worth ₹7.80 lakh
- 624 beer tins (500 ml) worth ₹1.37 lakh
- 240 beer tins (500 ml) worth ₹36,000
Police also seized the truck valued at ₹20 lakh, two mobile phones, and nearly 60,000 empty medicine bottles allegedly used to disguise the illegal cargo.
The accused were identified as:
- Yadwinder Singh Anup Singh Bhullar (36), driver, resident of Amritsar, Punjab
- Tarlochan Singh Gajansinh Sandhu (40), driver, resident of Amritsar, Punjab
A case has been registered under relevant sections of the Gujarat Prohibition Act.
A senior police official said the smugglers used hospital supply consignments as a cover to transport liquor into Gujarat, a dry state. “The modus operandi of concealing liquor inside medicine packages points to a well-organised network. Further investigation is underway to trace the source and other members involved,” the official added.