Liquor smuggling racket busted, kingpin arrested in Amritsar

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, November 22

A day after the seizure of a huge quantity of country-made liquor from five persons, the Amritsar rural police in a joint operation with the Excise Department have nabbed the kingpin of the racket from Tarn Taran area on Sunday.

He has been identified as Supreet Singh, alias Joti Sekhon, of Nadohar Chowk, Patti. His interrogation further led to the busting of around eight illegal liquor vends in Patti in Tarn Taran, while more recoveries are likely to be made during the further course of investigation, the police claimed.

On Saturday, the rural police had nabbed Lovepreet Singh of Kaler Kalan, Karanpreet Singh of Kaile Kalan, Pehaljit Singh of Ghuman Kalan, Lovepreet Singh of Ghuman Kalan, all residents of Gurdaspur and Baljinder Singh of Patti (Tarn Taran).

According to the police they used to smuggle Indian made foreign liquor (meant for Arunachal Pradesh) via Tarn Taran to Amritsar, Batala and Gurdaspur through link roads. The police recovered 90 boxes of liquor containing 810 litre liquor.

“Following a tip-off from the Excise Department, a joint checkpoint was laid at Jandiala Guru T-point. Three vehicles including Maruti Suzuki Brezza (PB-06-AG-9444), Verna (PB-65-M-8686) besides a goods carrier containing 90 boxes of country made liquor (total 810 litres) were intercepted at the checkpoint,” said SSP Dhurv Dahiya.

The interrogation revealed that they brought liquor from Supreet Singh and his brother Harman Sekhon. On the information provided by them, the police, in a joint operation with excise officials, raided the designated spot, where they found a bottle and empty boxes and arrested Supreet Singh.

Singh told the police that after the seizure of 90 boxes of liquor, they shifted the entire stock to another godown in Tarn Taran. He said the liquor first came at a godown in Chandigarh and from there it was supplied to Majha region via Tarn Taran.

Dahiya said the accused also used to run eight liquor vends in Patti. He said these vends were identified and Tarn Taran police had been informed about this.

Join Whatsapp Channel of The Tribune for latest updates.