Undercover teams infiltrate invite-only booze parties via closed social media groups; 3.5 crore liquor seized in a week
With New Year’s Eve approaching, Ahmedabad Rural Police have stepped up efforts to curb illegal liquor supply and secret party networks. Using unconventional strategies, they are now infiltrating invite-only events organised through private social media groups.
The intensified crackdown comes after multiple attempts to smuggle large IMFL consignments into the city. In the past week alone, the Rural Police seized liquor worth more than ₹3.50 crore, including 15,552 bottles worth over ₹2.02 crore recovered on the Bagodara Highway. In another case, 7,108 bottles were found hidden beneath boxes of Bournvita.
SP Ahmedabad Rural, Om Prakash Jat, told Mirror that bootleggers ramp up operations every year ahead of New Year’s Eve, supplying not just big parties but also small “friends-only” gatherings in farmhouses and private bungalows. “Bootleggers invest heavily for this season. We can’t rely only on informers,” he said. “So we decided that whatever slips past checkposts will be caught at the parties themselves.”
Inside closed groups
To combat this, the police have created special teams of young officers, policewomen and selected volunteers who already belong to closed social-media groups where party invites are shared. Under Operation Party Hunt, they track invite-only events on Instagram, Telegram and private WhatsApp groups.
Volunteers identify venues—farmhouses, clubs and private bungalows—and even purchase entry passes so officers can enter the parties before things escalate. With organisers getting more discreet and bootleggers growing bolder, police say they plan to be “everywhere” this New Year’s Eve.
Interstate liquor mafia under scrutiny
Senior officials revealed that a recent state-level virtual coordination meeting focused on stopping liquor inflow from Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Haryana. The Bishnoi gang from Rajasthan, reportedly active in Gujarat’s illegal liquor network, is also under close watch.
LCB Inspector R. N. Karmatiya said four major consignments worth over ₹3.5 crore were seized just in the last week. “We expected heavy smuggling before New Year. Multiple teams, both uniformed and undercover, are already deployed,” he said. “Our priority is public safety so that youth and families can welcome the New Year without any incidents.”