Driver held with 200 boxes of illicit liquor

In a late-night operation, the Kangra police seized 200 boxes of country-made liquor from a Bolero pickup and arrested its driver on the spot.

Kangra Superintendent of Police (SP) Ashok Rattan said acting on a specific tip-off, a police team from Panchrukhi police station set up a checkpoint on Badhu Road between Panchrukhi and Andretta. Around midnight, officials noticed a suspicious Bolero pickup (registration number HP36F-0910) approaching the area. Upon stopping and searching the vehicle, the police recovered a large consignment of illicit liquor.

During checking, police found 150 cartons of the ‘Santra’ brand and 50 cartons of ‘Una No. 1’ brand, amounting to roughly 18 lakh ml of country-made liquor. The entire consignment was immediately seized. The driver, identified as Ankit Singh (26), a resident of Matt village, Sungal post office, Palampur Tehsil, Kangra, was arrested on the spot. He is being interrogated to trace the source of the liquor and uncover the supply network behind the illegal trade. A case was registered at Panchrukhi police station against the driver in this connection.