Panchkula, April 2: Police arrested a Chandigarh resident for allegedly smuggling illegal liquor worth around ₹6 lakh near Mansa Devi Road on Monday night, officials said.
Kuldeep Singh, a resident of Sector 52, was booked under Section 61(1)(a) of the Excise Act after a police patrol intercepted his vehicle near a gurdwara on Mansa Devi Road. Assistant sub-inspector (ASI) Jagdish Kumar lodged the complaint at Mansa Devi Complex police station.
The police had set up a checkpoint following intelligence that liquor was being transported from Manimajra to Panchkula in a white Chandigarh-registered Fortuner. Around 10:40 pm, officers stopped the vehicle and identified Singh as the driver. He told police he worked for Surnesh Kumar, a resident of Mansa Devi, Sector 4, who owned the vehicle.
A search of the trunk led to the recovery of 13 boxes containing 88 bottles of branded vodka, whiskey, and champagne. Singh failed to provide a licence or permit for transporting the liquor, which was meant for sale only in Chandigarh.
“We suspect the liquor was being smuggled to Panchkula for sale at higher rates. The role of the vehicle owner is also under investigation,” said a police officer.
Singh was presented in a local court on Tuesday and granted bail.
