Eeco vehicle with fake number plates found ferrying liquor worth ₹5 lakh in Naroda, driver flees spot

The Naroda police seized an Eeco van allegedly carrying Indian-made foreign liquor (IMFL) worth nearly ₹4.69 lakh on Sunday morning. The total haul, including the vehicle, was valued around ₹6.69 lakh. The driver abandoned the van and fled after its tyre burst during a police chase near Nana Chiloda, officers said.

According to a complaint lodged at Naroda police station, a patrol team received a tip-off around 7.15 am that a white Eeco van was heading towards Sardarnagar with a consignment of illicit liquor. 

When the team spotted the van near the Karai cut intersection, the driver allegedly swerved off the road towards Nandigram to evade the police. “Despite being signalled to stop, the driver accelerated. The team gave chase in official and private vehicles. Near a farm at Nandigram, a puncture in the rear tyre forced the van to a halt. The driver jumped out and escaped into the adjoining scrubs,” said P V Gohil, Naroda Police Inspector 

On inspection, officers found the van’s front and rear number plates were different and its registration did not match the RTO records. Police suspect the vehicle’s plates were forged. The van itself is valued at approximately ₹2 lakh.

Inside, police recovered 1,164 sealed bottles of IMFL, totalling 289.44 litres, labelled “For Sale in Rajasthan Only”. The total value of the liquor is estimated at ₹4.69 lakh. Combined with the suspected stolen vehicle, the overall seizure is pegged at ₹6.69 lakh.

Naroda police have registered an offence under sections of the Gujarat Prohibition Act and relevant provisions of the Prohibition and Excise rules. Efforts are on to trace the absconding driver.