E-Paper
Cop killed after illicit liquor-laden truck runs over him in MP's Dewas; hunt on for driver
Cop killed after illicit liquor-laden truck runs over him in MP's Dewas; hunt on for driver
Prefer HTon Google
Indore, A police officer was killed after a truck carrying over 1,800 litres of illicit liquor allegedly ran him over while fleeing in Madhya Pradesh's Dewas district early on Monday, officials said.
The incident comes amid an ongoing investigation into an alleged spurious liquor racket in the district, where villagers claimed that 10 persons recently died after consuming the alcohol.
On Monday, Khategaon Station House Officer Dilip Puri had gone to the Indore-Betul highway after receiving information about illicit liquor smuggling.
A truck had been parked near a 'dhabha' on the highway since Sunday night, excise department sub-inspector Pooja Gehlot said, citing questioning of the eatery's owner and others.
When Puri tried to question the truck driver, the man allegedly drove over the road divider to escape, and the vehicle's rear wheel ran over the SHO, officials said.
Puri was seriously injured in the incident and was immediately rushed to a nearby hospital, but could not be saved, they said.
The driver later abandoned the truck some distance away and fled, and a search is on, Gehlot said.
Puri led one of five police teams formed after information about illegal liquor smuggling in the Khategaon area, Dewas's newly appointed Superintendent of Police, Aditya Mishra, told PTI.
The truck used in the smuggling has been seized, and more than 1,800 litres of illicit liquor have been recovered, he said.
A case has been registered under relevant provisions regarding Puri's death while performing his official duties, and a detailed investigation is underway, the official said.
"Upon receiving information about the incident, we rushed to the spot and searched the truck. The liquor boxes were kept in a secret compartment of the truck," Gehlot said.
No valid permit for transporting liquor was found in the truck, the official said.
When the SHO went to question the driver, he allegedly sped away over the road divider, ran over the officer in the process, she said.
According to preliminary investigation, the truck was heading from Harda towards Khategaon, she added.
Meanwhile, a post-mortem was conducted, and Puri was given a guard of honour by police personnel before his mortal remains were handed over to his family for the last rites.
Recently, some villagers in the district claimed that at least 10 persons died allegedly after consuming poisonous liquor. Police have arrested 11 individuals in this case, including illegal liquor sellers, a chemical supplier, and employees of licensed liquor shops.
According to police, one of the accused allegedly used Artificial Intelligence to learn how to prepare home-brewed spurious liquor using chemicals mixed with water, which was then illegally sold, primarily to villagers.
Three excise department officials, including the District Excise Officer, have been suspended in connection with the alleged spurious liquor incident.
Amid mounting pressure over the reports of spurious liquor deaths, the Madhya Pradesh government last week ordered a major administrative reshuffle, transferring nine senior IAS and IPS officers, including the Dewas collector and superintendent of police.
This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
