Liquor worth Rs 1 crore seized in Rajkot

Rajkot Rural Police seized Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) worth Rs 1.03 crore and arrested seven persons from a village in Kotda Sangani taluka of the district late on Wednesday night.

Following a tip off about a bootlegging network,Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Chaitnya Mandlik stopped a car near Naranka chowkadi,10 km south of Rajkot city,that was carrying 40 crates of IMFL.

On being questioned,the driver identified as Bhupesh Joshi,led the police to a godown in Bhadui village of Kotda Sangani taluka where 2,500 crates of IMFL worth Rs 1.03 crore were stored.

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While six more persons were arrested from the godown,five managed to escape,police said. Investigation has revealed the godown belongs to Vallabh Makwana,a resident of Kathrota village and a member of Rajkot taluka panchayat elected on BJP ticket. The bootlegging network was run by Firoze Sandhi of Rajkot, said Mandlik on Thursday. Both Makwana and Sandhi are on the run.

The ASP said bootleggers unloaded 400 crates of IMFL at the godown every day and supplied it to Rajkot city,and rural areas of Rajkot and Junagadh districts.

The godown was in use for last one month. However,when they started using it as a storage yard is a matter of investigation, Mandlik further said,adding

Incidentally,police had busted a gambling den being run on Makwanas farm in Kathrota village on Tuesday.

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