Bagodara police seize liquor worth ₹21 lakh concealed below chemical tanks, two held

Cracking down on liquor smuggling in dry Gujarat, Bagodara police on Wednesday night intercepted a Tata truck at the Bagodara toll plaza and uncovered a consignment of Indian-made foreign liquor (IMFL) and beer worth over ₹31.6 lakh, concealed beneath plastic chemical tanks. Two men have been arrested in connection with the case.

Special teams had intensified vehicle checks in the rural district to curb prohibition and gambling offences. During one such late-night checking drive, a truck coming from Bagodara was stopped.

On inspection, officers found the vehicle stacked with ten large chemical tanks. Hidden among them were 188 boxes of IMFL from various brands and 50 boxes of beer, totalling 238 boxes. These contained 9,024 bottles of 180 ml liquor and 1,200 beer cans, collectively worth ₹21.07 lakh. Including the truck and other seized items, the total value stood at ₹31.68 lakh, police said.

The arrested accused were identified as–

Mohit Laxmikant Tiwari (28), originally from Jaunpur, Uttar Pradesh, currently residing in Ankleshwar, Bharuch.

Ashish Suryakant Tiwari (21), also a native of Jaunpur, residing at Shakarpura village, Khambhat, Anand district.

Police have also seized the truck, chemical tanks, two mobile phones, tarpaulin sheets and RTO-related papers.

Bagodara Police Inspector U B Jograna who led the operation along with his team said, “The consignment was cleverly concealed among chemical tanks to mislead authorities, but our team managed to detect it during routine checks.”

Police have registered a case under relevant sections of the Gujarat Prohibition Act, and further investigation is underway to trace the source and destination of the liquor consignment.