Special Task Force (STF), Uttarakhand have arrested two bootleggers from Patelnagar and seized 107 Indian Made Foreign liquor (IMFl) crates and two vehicles from their possession on Wednesday. The accused have been identified as Diwan Singh Negi alias Mantu, resident of Satpuli, Pauri Garhwal, and Sohan lal, native of Pipli (Haryana). STF has launched a drive against illegal supply of liquors from neighbouring states-Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh.
Tipped that a notorious liquor peddler was supplying liquors at Satpuli, Pauri, the police team comprising sub-inspector Ashutosh Singh, chief constable Devendra Bharti, constables- Brajesh Chauhan, Vijay Kamboj, Virendra Nautiyal, Deepak Bhandari and Anup was formed.
later, the STF team plunged into action and seized two vehicles loaded with various IMFl brands from a patrol pump at Patelnagar. Two persons, including the main supplier, were arrested. A case under Excise Act and Section 207 of Motor Vehicle Act has been lodged against the accused in Patelnagar police station.
Interrogated, the accused broke down and admitted their offences, police said. They said they had brought it from Punjab via Paonta Sahib to supply at Satpuli, Pauri. Earlier on May 15, STF had seized 135 IMFl crates from Raiwala, but the accused Negi had escaped benefiting from the darkness during the drive.