Bootleggers attack cops during raid on liquor den

Surat: A team of state monitoring cell (SCM) of police that works under direct supervision of director general of police Shivanand Jha was attacked by bootleggers in Varachha here on Monday.
The team had raided a den where bootlegging activity was going on opposite Utkal Nagar near railway tracks when the bootleggers began to throw stones at the cops, thrashed them and damaged their vehicles. The attackers got three arrested accused freed who escaped along with the handcuffs.

Members of Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) had also ‘raided’ a country liquor brewery behind Maharana Pratap Garden Chaupati in Kapodra area on Varachha road on Saturday. Over 27 barrels of liquid raw material for producing country liquor were recovered from the spot. The barrels were found buried in ground at Tapi riverbank.

Police booked Niranjan alias Niru Pradhan, a history-sheeter, Hitesh alias Hitendra Patel, Deepak alias Kaliyo Devre, Shankar Raut and others for bootlegging activity and attacking them. The accused were also booked for getting their associates freed from police custody.

Four members of SMC raided the slums and recovered a few boxes of liquor. The Indian made foreign liquor (IMFL) recovered was worth Rs3.83 lakh. They also nabbed three persons who were handcuffed. The arrested accused were taking the cops to other locations where the liquor was kept when their associates started throwing stones at the cops. They chased the cops and thrashed them. One of the cops got stitches on his head for the injuries.

The SMC later sought help of local police. Cops from Varachha police station continued the search and recovered liquor. “We have launched a manhunt for those who had escaped from the spot with the handcuffs. They will be arrested soon,” a police officer said.