Drunk Driver Held With ₹90 Lakh Liquor Consignment In Indore; Illegal Route Under Probe

Indore (Madhya Pradesh): A drunk truck driver was arrested while illegally carrying 1,500 boxes of liquor worth around Rs 90 lakh in market value during a vehicle checking drive at Bada Ganpati Square, police said on Monday.

According to Malharganj police station in-charge Neeraj Birthare, the action was taken while police were conducting checks with a breath analyser to catch drunken drivers.

A mini truck was stopped, and the driver was found to be under the influence of alcohol. The breath analyser recorded an alcohol level of 91.4 mg per 100 ml of blood.

During the search, police recovered 1,200 boxes of a brand of whisky and 300 boxes of the same brand of rum, a total of about 13,500 litres of liquor.

Police said the factory value of the seized liquor is estimated at Rs 13.56 lakh, while its market value is around Rs 90 lakh.

The arrested driver was identified as Sumit Gaur, a resident of Raisen district.

During questioning, he allegedly told police that the liquor had been loaded from a liquor factory in Sejwaya village near Ghatabillod in Dhar district and was being transported to Sagar district.

However, police found that the vehicle was not travelling on the route mentioned in the transport permit.

Instead of following the approved route through Pithampur, Rau and the Bypass Road towards Sagar, the truck was intercepted on an unauthorised route at Bada Ganpati in the city.

Police are investigating whether there was a plan to unload the liquor illegally somewhere in the city.

Police collected sealed samples from the seized liquor and confiscated the remaining stock along with the vehicle.

A case has been registered against the suspect under Section 34(2) of the Madhya Pradesh Excise Act and Section 185 of the Motor Vehicles Act. Further investigation is underway.