Missing liquor case: Haryana Police seize ₹97 lakh cash, pistol, SUV in raid

The police also seized ₹97 lakh in cash, two pistols and three mobile phones besides a sports utility vehicle following a raid in a house to nab the prime accused

Three days after Sonepat’s Kharkhauda police booked trader Bhupinder, his brother and two others after 5,500 boxes of liquor went missing from a godown, the main accused surrendered before the police on Saturday. Police said a special investigation team looking into the matter will question him about the involvement of other persons, including some traders, two former SHOs, some policemen and excise officials.

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The police also seized ₹97 lakh in cash, two pistols and three mobile phones besides a sports utility vehicle following a raid in a house to nab the prime accused.

The two godowns in Sonepat from where a huge stock of liquor had reportedly gone missing early this week are stated to belong to accused Bhupinder’s wife.

The raid was conducted two days after Haryana home minister Anil Vij questioned the rational of keeping seized liquors in “godowns, owned by a person (Bhupinder Singh), who is facing 8-10 cases of liquor smuggling”.

Vij had also said a huge stock of seized liquor could not have gone missing from two godowns in Sonepat without the connivance of officials.

According to the minister, 5,500 liquor boxes have gone missing from the Sonepat godown which was under the supervision of the police department.

The other godown is being looked after by the state excise department.