Interstate liquor smuggler held by UP STF from Greater Noida

Rathi would procure liquor from Haryana and smuggle it into in Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and the dry states of Bihar and Gujarat as well

An interstate liquor smuggler was arrested by a team of Uttar Pradesh special task force (UP STF) when he came to attend a wedding in Greater Noida, officials said on Friday.

Rinku Rathi (HT Photo)

The suspect was identified as Rinku Rathi (50), who carried a reward of ₹50,000 on his arrest, declared by the Banda police, they added.

“Rathi, a resident of Ghaziabad, was held from Surajpur by the Noida unit of the STF on Thursday evening. He had arrived there for a wedding and was on his way to the venue when the STF team caught him near Durga Talkies movie theatre on the way to Malakpur village around 8pm,” Raj Kumar Mishra, additional superintendent of police, Noida, UP STF.

According to the officer, Rathi would procure liquor from Haryana and smuggle it into in Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and the dry states of Bihar and Gujarat as well.

“He was also involved in drug trafficking from Odisha and nearby areas to Delhi/National Capital Region, including Noida and Greater Noida. In 2018, Rathi was also by the Delhi Police for illegally transporting a large consignment of intoxicating cough syrup,” said the officer.

The suspect is booked in several cases registered across Uttar Pradesh, and also faces charges under the Excise Act and Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.

“In 2023, Rathi’s accomplices were arrested with cannabis by Baberu police under Banda district, but Rathi managed to escape. He was wanted in this case by the Banda police following which the STF nabbed him from Greater Noida,” said the officer.

351 kilos of cannabis seized

The Greater Noida police, along with the anti narcotics task force, Meerut, recovered 351 kilograms of cannabis from a canter truck in Greater Noida and arrested two people on Friday, police officers said.

According to Ashok Kumar, additional deputy commissioner of police, Greater Noida, the two suspects have been identified as Harish Kumar (37) and Himanshu Kumar (20), both residents of Baghpat.

“The two suspects were smuggling 351 kilograms of cannabis, estimated to be worth ₹1.75 crore in a canter truck, hidden inside packets of chicken feed. The truck was intercepted by police at Sirsa exit in Kasna, Greater Noida,” said Kumar.

The suspects have been booked under relevant sections of NDPS Act at the Kasna police station.