34L liquor seized on Delhi–Mumbai Expressway

Vadodara: The Prevention of Crime Branch (PCB) on Thursday busted a liquor-smuggling racket and arrested two men from the Delhi–Mumbai Expressway in the city, police said.Acting on a tip-off that a truck carrying a large consignment of liquor would pass through the expressway, the PCB team kept surveillance and intercepted the vehicle near Fajalpur village on the outskirts of Vadodara. The truck was travelling from Bharuch to Ahmedabad.On checking the vehicle, police recovered nearly 9,000 liquor tins valued at over Rs 34.87 lakh. The truck driver, identified as Jodharam Jaat, a resident of Rajasthan and Bhagirath Jaat, who was accompanying him, were arrested on the spot.During investigation, police found that the liquor consignment was loaded by Suraj Khan, while Sutraram Jaat acted as the middleman. Both have been named as accused in the case. Mobile phones and cash were also seized from the arrested duo, police said, adding that efforts are on to track down the remaining members of the network.Police officials said the Delhi–Mumbai Expressway is emerging as a preferred route for bootleggers to transport liquor. On Feb 19, police had intercepted another truck on the expressway and seized liquor worth over Rs 80 lakh. The driver, identified as Shinderpal Singh Jaat, was taken into custody and questioned.Police said bootleggers are increasingly using the expressway to evade multiple checkpoints along National Highway 48, where enforcement has been intensified.