Ahmedabad, February 9: Ahmedabad police have seized a significant quantity of foreign liquor hidden under helmets during an operation in the Narol area. A truck driver was arrested in connection with the case, officials reported on Monday.
Acting on a tip-off, the PCB team monitored the SP Ring Road near the Asalali Circle, close to Sainath Parking, and stopped a truck for inspection late Sunday night. During the search, authorities discovered a large stash of foreign liquor concealed beneath 1,053 helmets loaded in the upper section of the vehicle.
Officials stated that this method of concealment was deliberately designed to evade detection during routine checks. Upon investigation, police recovered 10,749 bottles of foreign liquor, valued at approximately ₹6,386,608. The helmets themselves were worth ₹525,447. The operation also led to the seizure of the truck, a mobile phone, and cash, with the total estimated value of the confiscated items exceeding ₹8.42 million.
Initial inquiries revealed that the shipment was loaded in Chandigarh and was being transported to Junagadh, violating Gujarat’s prohibition laws. The arrested truck driver has been identified as 38-year-old Johnny Baldevsingh Chandel, a resident of Hawani village in Mandi district, Himachal Pradesh. He is being interrogated to determine the source of the shipment and its intended recipient.
A police officer noted that alcohol traffickers often use legitimate goods to smuggle illegal liquor across state borders. Timely intelligence and vigilant monitoring were crucial in identifying and halting this shipment. The Narol police station is collaborating with other agencies to uncover the larger network involved in this smuggling operation.
This seizure is part of a series of similar operations recently conducted in Gujarat. In October 2025, the Sola High Court police surveillance squad intercepted a truck near Gota Bridge, which was carrying boxes labeled as hospital medications but contained approximately ₹3.09 million worth of 5,520 bottles of Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL). Two individuals from Punjab were arrested in that case.
In another incident in September 2025, the Special Monitoring Cell seized 8,231 bottles of IMFL worth ₹4.49 million from a pickup truck near Kapurai Chowk in Vadodara. The vehicle was confiscated, and police have initiated efforts to track down the suspects involved.
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