Vadodara: GRP recovers over 2,000 liquor cans stored under overhead water tank in Railway yard; second such case in a week

On Wednesday, the GRP recovered a total of 2,304 beer cans worth Rs 5.06 lakh. The stash, amounting to 1,152 litres of beer, was discovered under an overhead water tank during a check carried out on the premises.

On August 30, the GRP had recovered a total of 9,143 bottles of IMFL worth Rs 38.09 lakh, totalling to 2,112 litres of alcohol, from the MEMU carshed.

According to officials of the Western Railways, a team of the Engineering department, which accompanied the GRP that was undertaking the drive, the gate of the water tank had a private lock, which was broken down to allow the police to enter and check the premises.

“The stash was recovered as part of a drive to inspect deserted railway spaces such as quarters, sheds, water tanks and unoccupied buildings within the premises,” Vadodara Western Railways Superintendent of Police (SP) Abhay Soni told The Indian Express.

In the first case, the GRP booked and declared wanted an accused named Rubin Shaikh. For the water tank haul, besides Shaikh, another accused identified as Kapilsinh Kuntal has been identified.

Chief Public Relations Officer, Western Railway, Vineet Abhishek, told The Indian Express, “Shaikh was employed as a pointsman at the MEMU carshed. He is now on the run. We have suspended him as part of departmental action in the case… After the incident of the police finding the liquor in the carshed was reported, the Railway Protection Force (RPF) and the engineering departments of the Railways, jointly with the GRP, have been inspecting other properties of the department to crack down on any possible illegal activity being carried out on the premises.”

According to the police, Shaikh has a history of crime and was previously arrested in a case of murder in 2018 by the Vadodara Railway Police as well as in various cases of Prohibition and assault in different police stations in the district.