As per directions of w/DGP Punjab Sh. Dinkar Gupta IPS, a special anti-drug drive is being conducted in the Hoshiarpur district. Sh. Navjot Singh Mahal SSP Hoshiarpur briefed media personnel about a huge success achieved by the district police under this drive. Under the supervision of Sh. Ravinderpal Singh PPS SP Investigation Hoshiarpur, a team led by SI Nirmal Singh and Ins Shiv Singh recovered 2 tankers, 3 cars, 40,000 liters chemical spirit and apprehended 6 smugglers at Village Baringli, PS Talwara.
On 13.04.2021, the police party raided a place near Sanju Dhaba in village Baringali on getting secret information in this regard. During the raid, 6 persons were arrested along with an i-20 car PB23 R 0254 having 10 cans of chemical spirit in it, a Honda Swik car having 5 cans of spirit, an SX-4 car having 5 cans of spirit, a tanker from which spirit was being unloaded using a pipe and another tanker PB10 Z 1147. Then an FIR no 28 dated 13.04.2021 u/s 379. 380. 328, 420 IPC, 61, 63, 78-1-14 Excise Act, PS Talwara was registered.
The police have recovered one truck carrying ENA (extra neutral alcohol) used in the production of alcoholic beverages while the other contained ethyl alcohol de natural, which is used for the production of sanitizers. The purpose of these smugglers was to mix this ethyl alcohol de natural to prepare illicit liquor for monetary purposes.
During the investigation, one of the accused told the police that they manufacture illicit liquor using the spirit. The leader of the gang of smugglers is Rohit r/o Sohal, PS Dinanagar, District Gurdaspur. The above-mentioned Rohit is still absconding and various police parties have been constituted to conduct raids in order to apprehend him at the earliest.
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It has come into light while investigating that the recovered spirit had to be taken to Baddi, Parmanu in the state of Himachal Pradesh via the route of Terrace (a town adjoining HP). The accused also supply illegal spirit to Batala, Gurdaspur, Pathankot, Hoshiarpur in Punjab, and Damtal, Indora in Himachal Pradesh for the manufacture of illicit liquor.
Sh. Navjot Singh Mahal SSP Hoshiarpur further told the media that one of the members of the gang, Narinder Lal @ Rinku s/o Ramesh Lal r/o Sohal, PS Dinanagar, Gurdaspur has 8 cases registered against him under various sections of IPC, Arms Act, and Excise Act. The accused Rakesh @ Baba s/o Mahinder r/o Gangwal PS Dara District Kangra, Himachal Pradesh has 3 cases under Excise Act registered against him.
Hoshiarpur police is investigating the case to unearth various forward and backward linkages of the smuggling gang.