Cop held for aiding smuggling

Vadodara: A police constable from Gandhinagar was arrested in connection with a prohibition case registered in Padra police station on February 8. Cops had seized Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) worth Rs 21 lakh hidden under spare parts of bicycles, which are distributed by state government during Garib Kalyan Mela on the outskirts of Sangma village of Padra on February 8.
Days after seizure, police had arrested two bootleggers of Sindhrot village, who had ordered the liquor stock from Haryana. During their interrogation, involvement of the constable identified as SK Zala came to light. Police said that the call detail records of Zala revealed that he was in constant touch with the two bootleggers even on the day of seizure.

When the police arrested Zala late on Monday night, they also seized five mobile phones from him. The police have also sought call detail records of these five phones. A police official said that of his 17 years of service in police department, Zala has spent several years in Vadodara rural police.

“He is aware about the geography of the entire district since he has been posted in different police stations in Vadodara rural. It may be possible that he would be guiding the bootleggers and the driver of the truck from where to bring the liquor and which road should be taken,” said D M Vyas, Padra police inspector.

The police had found the truck parked on the side of a canal near Sangma village on February 8 in a suspicious manner. When the cops checked the truck, they had found spare parts of the bicycle and liquor boxes underneath it. Driver of the truck Hakam Singh Harijan had been arrested then, who told the police that the spare parts were to be delivered in Gandhinagar after delivering the liquor consignment in Vadodara city.