Police bust bootlegging racket, seize 100 illegal liquor cartons

Mohali: In a major crackdown on illicit liquor smuggling, Zirakpur Police seized 100 cartons of liquor from a pickup truck and arrested its driver during a late-night operation. Preliminary investigations revealed that the liquor was licensed for sale only within Chandigarh but was being illegally transported to Delhi and Haryana.According to police officials, a team from Zirakpur Police Station was conducting routine night patrols when they received a tip-off regarding a large consignment of liquor being transported in a pickup truck bearing a Delhi registration number.Police intensified checking in the area and kept a close watch for the suspect vehicle. Shortly thereafter, the pickup truck matching the description was intercepted and searched.During the search, police recovered 100 cartons of liquor from the vehicle. The seized consignment comprised 80 cartons of country liquor and 20 cartons of IMFL.The driver, Pankaj, failed to provide any legal documentation.Police said the accused admitted that he was transporting the liquor to Delhi. However, he was unable to provide satisfactory information regarding the person who had supplied the consignment or the intended recipients.Police arrested the accused and seized both the liquor consignment and the pickup truck. Further investigation is underway.Officials said efforts are now focused on identifying the source of the liquor, tracing the supply chain and uncovering the wider smuggling network involved in the illegal trade.Police authorities stated that special drives against liquor smuggling and other illegal activities will continue across the district.