The Bathinda district police on Monday claimed to have arrested one individual and seized 720 bottles of liquor that was being smuggled from Haryana in a tractor trailer. The seizure took place late Sunday night at Pathrala village in Bathinda, according to police officials.
Acting on a tip-off, a team from the police post at Pathrala, located near the Haryana border, intercepted a tractor trailer. The tractor trailer was being escorted by two individuals on a motorcycle. When the police party stopped the tractor, the bikers managed to flee the scene, police added.
Inspector Sukhwinder Singh, Station House Officer (SHO) of Sangat police station, stated that the trailer was loaded with fodder and covered with a tarpaulin. Upon searching the trailer, police discovered 60 cases, containing a total of 720 bottles of Haryana-manufactured liquor, cleverly concealed beneath the fodder. The driver of the trailer, identified as Gurwinder Singh, a resident of Bhagwangarh village, was arrested, and the vehicle was impounded.
The SHO further mentioned that four more individuals have been named in the case registered under the Excise Act. He added that it is yet to be determined whether the smuggled liquor was intended for use during the municipal elections. The investigation is ongoing to uncover the full network behind this smuggling operation.
