Kingpin of interstate liquor smuggling gang held in Punjab

The CIA unit of the Jhajjar police, led by Inspector Vivek Malik, has arrested the kingpin of an interstate liquor smuggling gang from Punjab based on a tip-off. The accused, Surajmukh, was carrying a reward of Rs 5,000 for his arrest.

Jhajjar Commissioner of Police Rajshree Singh said the crackdown on drug and illegal liquor trade would continue.

“Surajmukh basically hails from Ambala but is at present residing in Kharar, Punjab. He is a proclaimed offender. In December 2023, a truck carrying 375 cartons of illegal liquor was seized in the Dujana area here and a man named Birbal from Rajasthan was arrested. During interrogation, it was revealed that the liquor was being transported from Punjab to Bihar,” said Malik.

He further said further investigations identified Surajmukh as the mastermind behind the smuggling operation. However, he managed to evade arrest for nearly 21 months. Acting on intelligence inputs, the CIA Jhajjar team conducted a raid in Punjab and successfully apprehended him.

“The investigation also revealed that Surajmukh has multiple criminal cases against him across several states. These include four cases in Bihar, four in Gujarat, one in Patiala (Punjab), and one in Yamunanagar (Haryana). In many of these cases, the courts have declared him a proclaimed offender,” added Malik.

The inspector informed that additionally, Suresh from Hansdahar village in Jind, who sold the truck used in the smuggling operation, had also been arrested. “Suresh operates a truck body workshop in Punjab and had tampered with the truck’s chassis number before selling it to Surajmukh,” Malik added.