Panchkula: Man caught with illegal liquor worth ₹6 lakh

Police arrested a Chandigarh resident for transporting illegal liquor worth around ₹6 lakh during a patrol near Mansa Devi Road on Monday night, police said on Tuesday.

Kuldeep Singh, a resident of Sector 52, Chandigarh, was booked under Section 61(1)(a) of the Excise Act following a complaint lodged by assistant sub-inspector (ASI) Jagdish Kumar at the Mansa Devi Complex police station.

According to the complaint, a police patrol was conducted on the Mansa Devi Road to ensure law and order during the Navratri festival.

The police had set up a checkpoint near a gurdwara on Mansa Devi Road after receiving intelligence that illegal liquor was being transported from Manimajra to Panchkula in a white Chandigarh-registered Fortuner.

Around 10.40 pm, the vehicle was intercepted and Singh, who was at the wheels, identified himself as an employee of Surnesh Kumar, a resident of Mansa Devi, Sector 4, the owner of the vehicle.

Upon inspection, the police officials found 13 boxes containing 88 bottles of branded vodka, whiskey, and champagne in a trunk.

The accused was unable to produce a licence or permit for transporting the liquor, which was intended for sale only in Chandigarh.

The police suspect that the liquor was being smuggled to Panchkula for sale at inflated prices.

”We are also investigating the role of the vehicle owner,” said a police officer.

Singh was produced in a local court on Tuesday and was released on bail.