Rajasthan smuggler held with Rs 51 lakh illicit liquor consignment in Jashpur
Truckload of liquor worth Rs 51 lakh seized in Jashpur under Operation Aghaat.
⭕️ 6,588 litres of English liquor hidden in 734 cartons intercepted on NH-43
⭕️ Third major seizure under Operation Aghaat within weeks
⭕️ Police suspect involvement of interstate trafficking syndicate
By : Akshay Lahre
Jashpur : In a major strike under Operation Aghaat, Jashpur Police seized a truck carrying illicit English liquor worth Rs 51 lakh and arrested a Rajasthan-based smuggler. The consignment-6,588 litres packed in 734 cartons-was intercepted on National Highway-43 near Aghdeeh in the City Kotwali police station limits on Sunday.
Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Shashi Mohan Singh said the seizure marks the third such high-value interception in recent weeks, following two earlier operations in which police confiscated liquor consignments worth over Rs one crore from two trucks.
Acting on a tip-off, a police team led by City Kotwali SHO Ashish Kumar Tiwari set up a checkpoint near Aghdeeh. Around 4:00 pm, officers stopped a suspicious truck (registration UP-12-AT-1845) and discovered the liquor cartons concealed in its trailer. The driver, identified as Chima Ram (26), a resident of Baytu in Barmer district of Rajasthan, was taken into custody.
During interrogation, Chima Ram claimed he was transporting the truck from Chandigarh, Punjab to Ranchi, Jharkhand, for a payment of Rs 45,000. From Ranchi, another handler was to drive the truck onward to Bihar. He alleged ignorance about the cargo’s contents, saying the vehicle had been handed over to him by another person in Chandigarh.
Investigators suspect the operation is part of a larger interstate smuggling syndicate adept at avoiding toll plazas and police checkpoints. Earlier cases revealed a similar modus operandi-drivers were hired solely for specific segments of the route to keep them unaware of the shipment’s origin and final destination.
Police said the seized truck itself is valued at Rs 16 lakh. A case has been registered under Sections 34(1)(a) and 34(2) of the Chhattisgarh Excise Act, and the accused has been remanded to judicial custody.
The operation involved ASI S.N. Pal, Head Constable Naveen Datt Tiwari, Constable Upendra Singh, and Home Guard Thaneshwar Deshmukh. SSP Singh confirmed that investigations are underway to trace the wider network and assured that all individuals involved will be brought to justice.
