A day before Punjab polls, 300 cartons of liquor seized in Chandigarh

A DAY before Punjab votes to elect its new legislative Assembly, the crime branch of UT police on Saturday seized 300 cartons of IMFL liquor that was being smuggled in a Tata 407 to Punjab from Chandigarh.

The Tata 407 was intercepted near Central Mall in Phase-2 after a tip-off that the police received. “The vehicle bearing a Mohali registration number was coming from the Verka Plant side. It was stopped for checking. The driver of the vehicle told us that his name was Dablu Sharma, of Burail. Further after a search of the vehicle, around 300 boxes of liquor — 100 boxes of Royal Style Classic Whiskey, 50 boxes of King Gold Special Whiskey, and 150 boxes of King Gold Special Whisky — were recovered. Dablu Sharma could not produce any permit/licence authorising him to carry the liquor, so he was arrested. The accused told us that liquor was to be taken to Punjab,” crime branch Inspector Rajeev Kumar said.

A case was registered at Industrial Area police station. Liquor vends at the moment are closed in Punjab in view of the upcoming Assembly elections. The liquor vends situated in Chandigarh and areas adjoining Mohali have also been shut in view of the Assembly elections in Punjab.