Surat: Rs 59.97 lakh worth liquor seized, one arrested

A truck driver was arrested after liquor worth Rs 59.97 lakh was seized from his vehicle by a team of State Monitoring Cell in Palsana, on the outskirts of Surat, on late Wednesday. 

The sleuths are looking for nine others. The officers recovered 59,976 bottles and 1,322 boxes of IMFL from the truck. A mobilephone and Rs 6,290 cash were also recovered from the accused. 

The net worth of the seizure — including the truck and cash — is Rs70lakh, sleuths said. 

Responding to the lead that a heavy liquor stock was being smuggled from Daman to Surat (Rural) via road, the planted sleuths at the site. 

The licence number of the vehicle belonged to Maharastra. The cops have identified four of the nine other accused. Four of them are senders of the consignment from Daman —  Harshad Bhandari, Ketan Bhandari, Dinesh Devre and Sanjay Selvasa.   The remaing — Navapura identified as Kamlesh Marwadi, Pankaj Sonvane, Ros-han Thakur, Babu Marwadi and Nitin Patil — are the receivers.

LEAD TAKES COPS TO THE CRIME

• The officers recovered 59,976 bottles and 1,322 boxes of IMFL from the truck.  
   
• A mobilephone and Rs 6,290 cash were also recovered from the accused. 
   
• The net worth of the seizure — including the truck & cash — is Rs70lakh, sleuths said.