-SATISH HANDA

Case has been registered against 18 persons including inter-state liquor mafia and police personnel involved in the biggest liquor smuggling case reported in Haryana state so far at Kharkhoda police station in Sonepat district in which the prime accused Bhupinder Singh after raid at his Chandigarh residence surrendered before Kharkhoda police station and during police remand named Jasbir Singh then SHO Kharkhoda police station and few other police personnel involved in this scam in which thousands of liquor cases kept in his godown at Kharkhoda under police guard seized by Excise department and police in several raids during smuggling were stolen, sold and smuggled to other states during lock down period when sale of liquor was completely banned. Jashandeep Singh Randhawa SP Sonepat told that state government Haryana constituted an three members SET comprising of T.C. Gupta senior IAS, Subhash Yadav ADGP and a senior officer from Excise & Taxation Department Haryana to investigate biggest liquor scam in the state and submit report by May 31, 2020.

Information reveals, SET checked liquor stocks twice, detected large embezzlements in this case and demanded another two months to investigate the case thoroughly. Meanwhile, Subhash Yadav ADGP retired from service on May 31, 2020 and Mohd Akil ADGP was deployed to investigate the case and submit report within two months. SP Sonepat told media persons that the management of a liquor distillery at Rajpura from where Bhupinder Singh was procuring illicit liquor for smuggling in Haryana has also been sent a notice. Moreover, police arrested two persons Dipesh Kumar and Amit Kumar allegedly preparing Desi liquor in a godown adjoining a closed cold storage on national highway at Rajpura along with four others yet to be arrested and supplying the same to Bhupinder Singh smuggling liquor to Haryana illegally and replacing fake liquor in branded liquor bottles at his four godowns in Haryana for onward sale in the state as well as other states with the assistance of police personnel.

Information also reveals that in the year 2001 Bhupinder Singh son of a farmer was lifting passenger on the road in his jeep later started liquor smuggling and at present having huge properties including a shop in grain market, a restaurant, a school in 10 acres area, big house at Chandigarh, a Range Rover car and network of liquor smuggling in several states. SP Sonepat told that Haryana police seeking help of Punjab police in this case. He said, search for the arrest of Jasbir Singh former SHO and two others Jitender and Satish of Kharkhoda police station are absconding is going on. After the incident of liquor scam in Haryana state in which thousands cases of liquor seized by excise department were found missing in large number of godowns in Haryana state and it was detected that huge quantity of liquor seized by Haryana police was found illegally smuggled from Punjab as such sources reveal Punjab government has taken a serious view and made large number of changes in excise department in the state in recent past. Jashandeep Randhawa SP Sonepat told media persons that a notice has been sent to a Punjab distillery found supplying liquor for smuggling in Haryana state.

In-spite of strictness during lock down, drugs smuggling too witnessed drastic rise in this period. According to Alok Rai ADGP Ambala division, total number of 209 cases were registered by the police under Excise Act in his division comprising of Ambala, Yamunanagar and Kurukshetra districts during lock down in which 227 persons were arrested   in which total number of 36220 bottles illicit wine and 2327 kg ‘Lahaan’ to produce Desi liquor were seized by the police. ADGP Ambala told that police also arrested 44 drug smugglers in 290 cases registered under NDPS Act in this period in which police seized 485 kg poppy husk, over 485 gm  smack and heroine, 1 kg 700 gm opium,  5 gm ‘sulpha’, 4600 intoxicated  capsules, 53900 intoxicated tablets and seven packets intoxicated injections. He told that 997 persons violating lock down directions were arrested in 661 cases registered  during lock down period He said, 18648 vehicles were fined in this period in Ambala division from whom amount worth Rs 4.08 crore was recovered and 1414 vehicles impounded by police.