PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE | Dehradun
Police arrested five men and seized a total of 24 cartons of illicit Indian-Made Foreign Liquor being smuggled into Dehradun ahead of voting in Panchayat elections.
The arrests were made in separate operations conducted by the Selaqui police in compliance with instructions issued by the Dehradun senior superintendent of police Ajai Singh to intensify vehicle checks and prevent the distribution of illegal liquor during the election period. Singh informed that in the first operation, conducted on Monday during routine late-night checking near Labour Chowk and the old police outpost in Selaqui, two men were arrested. One accused, identified as Vishal Rawat, was found transporting 10 cartons of Royal Stag and Imperial Blue whisky in a Brezza vehicle (UK07FT-4881).
Another man, Shivam Kashyap, was caught with two cartons of 8 PM Gold whisky on a scooter (UK16E-4881). The liquor was reportedly brought in to influence voters during the election campaign. Both men were booked under relevant sections of the Excise Act, he said. In a separate operation conducted on Tuesday, three other men were arrested during checking drives near Labour Chowk and the old police outpost in Selaqui.
Mehtab and Shaukeen were found transporting six cartons of Royal Stag Classic whisky, totaling 288 bottles, in a black Scorpio vehicle without a number plate. Another accused, Rajveer, was caught with six more cartons of the same liquor brand in a Brezza car (25BH-2265J). The police seized both vehicles used in the smuggling and registered cases under the Excise Act at Selaqui police station. Singh informed that during interrogation, the accused admitted they had procured the liquor for distribution among voters to influence the upcoming Panchayat elections. The investigation is ongoing, he added.
