A police officer tracking a truck suspected of carrying illicit liquor was crushed to death when the vehicle ran him over during an attempted interception in Dewas district. The incident has brought the risks of confronting illegal liquor networks into sharp focus, as the district remains under scrutiny following suspected hooch deaths.
Dilip Puri, in-charge of Khategaon police station, was following the truck when the police team attempted to stop it. The driver allegedly tried to escape during the interception. Puri fell and came under the truck’s rear wheel. He was taken to a hospital, where he died.
The truck was suspected of transporting liquor from Harda towards Gujarat through Indore. Police seized the vehicle and arrested its driver. More than 800 litres of alcohol were recovered. Investigators are examining the consignment’s source, destination and the people involved in moving it.
A wine shop in the Timarni area of Harda is suspected to be connected to the supply. However, the alleged link remains under investigation.
Police are examining the truck’s route and the circumstances in which the consignment was being transported to determine whether the arrested driver was working independently or for a wider network. Puri was a 2007-batch sub-inspector. His death occurred amid intensified attention on the illicit liquor trade in Dewas after 13 suspected hooch deaths were reported between September 27 and October 16. The deaths triggered a crackdown and an investigation into the suspected supply of spurious liquor.
Ten people have been arrested in connection with the suspected spurious liquor case. The fallout also reached the district administration. Dewas Collector Ritu Raj and Superintendent of Police Puneet Gahlot were transferred, while three excise officials were suspended.
The killing of a police station in-charge during an operation against a suspected liquor consignment adds another serious dimension to the district’s liquor-related investigations. It also places the focus on the supply chain moving illicit alcohol across district and state boundaries, and on those who arrange, transport and distribute such consignments.
Investigators now face the task of establishing the truck’s source, identifying its intended recipients and determining whether the consignment was part of a larger operation. The driver’s alleged attempt to flee and the circumstances leading to Puri being run over will be central to the probe. The investigation is continuing. Investigators must establish whether the alcohol was intended for illegal sale and identify everyone involved in its movement.