The police said that the operation led to the arrest of five men and a recovery of over 42 cartons containing nearly 2,000 quarters of illicit liquor, 24 bottles of beer, and three camels used for transport.
File Photo: IANS
The Delhi Police on Friday busted a gang of smugglers involved in ferrying illicit liquor across the Delhi-Faridabad border by camels, an official said.
The police said that the operation led to the arrest of five men and a recovery of over 42 cartons containing nearly 2,000 quarters of illicit liquor, 24 bottles of beer, and three camels used for transport.
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The arrested individuals have been identified as Vinod Bhadana (48) and Sunil Bhadana (38) from Faridabad, Rahul (22) and Ajay (25) from Sangam Vihar, and Saurabh (26) from Badaun, Uttar Pradesh, the police said, adding that several of them have previous criminal records with multiple cases registered against them under the Delhi Excise Act and the IPC.
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“The smugglers adopted this method (transporting liquor through camels) to evade increased checkpoints and surveillance along traditional smuggling routes. They used camels to transport liquor through the forested areas of Sangam Vihar, hoping the slow-moving animals would help them blend into the surroundings and avoid detection,” said Ankit Chauhan, Deputy Commissioner of Police (South).
With the lead gathered in this case, a team was formed that laid a trap in the jungle area.
“The suspects were intercepted while transporting liquor on camels and arrested on the spot,” DCP Chauhan told the reporters during a press conference.
Officer Chauhan added, “The camels, which were used as carriers in this illicit trade, were rescued and will be handed over to animal welfare authorities.”
The accused have been booked under section 33/38 of the Delhi Excise Act and Section 11 of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act.
In the past 15 days, the South District Police have seized over 11,000 quarters of liquor and multiple vehicles used for smuggling, underlining a renewed crackdown on Excise Act violations. They said further investigation into this matter is underway to unravel the larger network behind this unusual operation, the officer stated.
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