PTI
Dewas/Dhar
A police officer was killed, and a constable injured while trying to intercept a truck laden with illicit liquor in Madhya Pradesh’s Dewas district on Monday, prompting a crackdown on the liquor mafia, officials said.
Police have taken the suspected kingpin of the bootlegging network and two others in custody, while the driver of the truck and the cleaner are on the run.
According to preliminary investigation, the truck was allegedly transporting illicit liquor to “dry” Gujarat.
The incident occurred amid an ongoing investigation into a spurious liquor racket in Dewas district, where villagers claimed 10 people died recently after consuming alcohol.
Khategaon police station House Officer (SHO) Dilip Puri was trying to stop the truck near the
Narmada Dhaba at Sandalpur crossing.
on the Indore-Betul highway early Monday when the driver allegedly drove the vehicle over him with the intention to kill him and fled, according to a police statement.
A constable, Sohan Jat, was also injured after the truck driver allegedly attempted to run him over. The truck was subsequently intercepted by police teams, leading to the seizure of more than 1,800 litres of illicit liquor, the statement said.
According to the investigation, the liquor was being transported from Timarni in Harda district to Gujarat in the truck, bearing an MP registration number.
“Puri stopped a truck carrying more than 1,800 litres of liquor and attempted to question the driver, but the driver drove the vehicle onto a road divider to escape from the police. During this, the rear wheel of the vehicle ran over the station in-charge, leaving him seriously injured,” officials said. He was immediately rushed to the hospital, but his life could not be saved.
The three individuals who have been taken into custody for questioning are identified as suspected liquor smuggling racket operator Rahul Jaiswal, his accomplice Vijay Rao, and Karam Singh, who allegedly provided the vehicle.
Truck driver Gajendra alias Akku Rawat and his assistant are absconding, and raids are being conducted to trace them.
Among the trio taken into custody, Rahul Jaiswal allegedly coordinated the supply of illicit liquor from three liquor shops to different areas. He played a key role in the network and collected money generated from the illegal trade before distributing shares among others, a police statement said.
Liquor contractor Pankaj Jaiswal, a resident of Barwani district, held a 10% stake in the business, while Rahul Jaiswal, Manish Jaiswal and Mohin Jaiswal each held a 30% share, police said, adding that Manish, Mohin, and Pankaj are residents of Indore, Gujarat, and Barwani, respectively.
Vijay Rao, a resident of Indore, allegedly admitted to working for Rahul Jaiswal in the liquor smuggling network, the statement said. Police teams have gathered substantial information about the alleged network and are conducting raids across five districts to arrest other accused.
Dewas Superintendent of Police has announced a reward of Rs 10,000 each for information leading to the arrest of the absconding accused.
