Ahmedabad Crime Branch Seizes 5,988 Liquor Bottles Worth ₹18.69 Lakh Hidden Under Groundnut Sacks

The Ahmedabad Crime Branch has seized 5,988 bottles of Indian-made foreign liquor worth ₹18.69 lakh from an Eicher truck in which the consignment was concealed inside a specially constructed iron compartment beneath sacks of groundnuts.

The truck was intercepted near the Nayara petrol pump on Narol-Vishala Road following a tip-off. Police seized goods worth ₹27.55 lakh, including the liquor, the vehicle and the groundnuts, and arrested the driver, Arbaz Rashid Ida, a resident of Dhar district in Madhya Pradesh.

A case has been registered under the Gujarat Prohibition Act, and investigators are searching for the suspected bootlegger who arranged the consignment.

Iron Compartment Concealed Beneath 100 Sacks

According to police, the Crime Branch received information that a large consignment of liquor was being transported towards Ahmedabad in an Eicher truck travelling along Narol-Vishala Road.

A team kept watch near the Nayara petrol pump, opposite Ashif Steel, and intercepted the vehicle. As the truck was loaded with groundnut sacks, officers took it to the Crime Branch office for a detailed inspection.

Labourers unloaded around 100 sacks, revealing a concealed compartment made with iron angles in the middle of the truck's trailer. Officers recovered 1,524 bottles of 8 PM Whisky, each containing 750 ml and valued at ₹8.61 lakh, along with 4,464 bottles of Royal Challenge Whisky, each containing 180 ml and valued at ₹10.08 lakh.

The total liquor seizure amounted to 5,988 bottles worth ₹18.69 lakh.

Driver Says Truck Was Handed Over in Madhya Pradesh

During questioning, Ida reportedly told investigators that an unidentified person had handed him the truck near Thandla in Madhya Pradesh. He was allegedly instructed to deliver it to a designated recipient in Ahmedabad.

Police have registered a case against the driver and the unidentified person suspected of arranging the shipment. The investigation is focused on identifying the supplier and the local bootlegger who ordered the liquor.

The seizure included the Eicher truck, valued at ₹8 lakh, and groundnuts worth ₹80,000. The total value of the seized goods was estimated at ₹27.55 lakh, including the liquor and other items.

Fake E-Way Bills Used to Disguise Liquor Shipment

Investigators also found two e-way bills in the truck's cabin that purported to document the transportation of groundnuts.

One document showed a consignment travelling from a firm in Khotakheda Doriya in Madhya Pradesh to Nakoda Sales Agency in Ahmedabad. The second indicated that the groundnuts were to be transported from Ahmedabad to Jamnagar.

The documents reportedly declared the consignment's value at ₹4.61 lakh. Police suspect the paperwork was prepared to make the transport appear legitimate and help the truck pass toll plazas, border check-posts and weighbridges without attracting suspicion.

The Crime Branch is investigating the alleged use of fraudulent transport documents and attempting to trace others involved in the interstate liquor supply network.