Monday, 21 August 2023 | PNS | DEHRADUN
The Rudraprayag police on Sunday arrested two accused with 1,488 bottles of liquor which were reportedly meant to be supplied at various stops on the Kedarnath temple route. Since the commencement of Char Dham Yatra this year, the police have arrested 74 accused and seized a total of 2,148 bottles of liquor in Rudraprayag district, most of which were meant to be smuggled to the Kedarnath route, said the superintendent of police Visakha Bhadane. She said that due to the incessant rains, the number of devotees arriving for the pilgrimage has decreased considerably and since police also usually tend to get busy with blocked roads and carrying out rescue operations among other tasks, many offenders consider it as a good time to take advantage to smuggle liquor at stops on Char Dham routes.
Being aware of this strategy, the police activated its informer network to collect information on such matters besides carrying out random checking and crackdown on those who are involved in smuggling contraband and in committing similar crimes. During such checking in the Sonprayag area, the police recovered 32 boxes of liquor bottles from a car. After police inquired about the man caught with the liquor, it was revealed that he had reportedly smuggled liquor in the area earlier as well.
The police also seized 25 boxes of branded liquor from a restaurant and arrested another accused while another culprit escaped from the spot. The SP said that during preliminary interrogation, the arrested accused accepted that their aim was to smuggle liquor to popular Kedarnath Yatra halts. She said that the police recovered a total of 1,488 bottles of liquor from 57 cases seized from two different sites. She said that the police have recovered a total of 2,148 bottles worth about Rs 14 lakh and have registered 47 cases while arresting 74 culprits under relevant acts. The SP also appeals to the people to inform the police if they observe illegal supply of alcohol in the district.
