21K liquor bottles recovered from Gujarat-bound milk truck in Chandigarh

The accused, Gaurav Khatri, a resident of Phase 5 in Mohali, was ferrying the liquor in a milk tanker that was bound for Gujarat, a dry state

Police nabbed a 34-year-old man for carrying nearly 440 boxes (21,120 bottles) of illegal liquor in a milk truck.

The accused with the milk truck. (HT Photo)

The accused, Gaurav Khatri, a resident of Phase 5 in Mohali, was ferrying the liquor in a milk tanker that was bound for Gujarat, a dry state.

Acting on a tip off on Sunday, inspector Ranjit Singh set up a trap near Industrial Area Phase 1, police said.

“Due to lockdown, the milk tanker provided a perfect cover for smugglers to transfer illegal liquor. This consignment was bound for Gujarat. The truck had ‘milk not for sale’ written on its front and rear side. The emergency number written on the vehicle was also fake. The whiskey bottles were labelled as crazy Romeo whiskey quarters,” said Rajeev Ambasta, deputy superintendent of police (DSP, crime branch).

Khatri was booked under Section 61/1/14 of the Excise Act. Police are trying to identify other people involved in the business.