Home guard arrested for allowing bootlegger to flee

The Surat Police arrested a home guard on Saturday for allegedly allowing a bootlegger, who was caught with a car
containing IMFL bottles worth Rs 1.27 lakh during night patrol, to flee.

A police constable, who allegedly kept the liquor bottles in his car, is absconding. During questioning, home guard Milan Virani told the Varachha police that he, alongwith constable Lakhan — attached to the Police Control Room mobile patrolling van in Varachha — had on Friday night caught a car loaded with IMFL bottles at Patelnagar. “The bootlegger, Mukesh, allegedly requested Lakhan to take the liquor bottles and in turn allow him to go. Lakhan allegedly loaded the bottles in his car and allowed the bootlegger to flee,” an officer said.

The Varachha police on Saturday traced the car with the liquor bottles and found that it was owned by Lakhan. Both Lakhan and Virani were booked under the Prohibition Act.

Varachha Police Inspector A N Gabani said, “We have arrested home guard and are looking for Lakhan. Our teams tried to contact him at his home and also on his cellphone but he did not respond. Once we arrest him, we will and find out the whereabouts of the bootlegger.”