Vadodara: Three policemen from Dahod district have been booked for allegedly attempting to smuggle liquor from Rajasthan after abandoning a vehicle loaded with alcohol when it crashed into a stormwater drain during a police chase.The incident came to light on Sunday night following specific intelligence received by officials of the Chakaliya police station. The accused have been identified as head constables Arjun Bhuriya and Mohan Taviyad, and constable Prakash Hathila, all posted at Chakaliya police station.
According to police, Bhuriya and Hathila were travelling in a white Alto car, which was moving ahead of another vehicle driven by Taviyad. The liquor consignment was being transported in Taviyad’s car. Officials said the two-car formation is a common tactic used by bootleggers, with the lead vehicle acting as a lookout to warn the liquor-carrying vehicle about police presence or checkpoints.Acting on the tip-off, Chakaliya police kept surveillance along the suspected route. When officers spotted the Alto and signalled it to stop, the driver accelerated and fled. Soon after, the second car was also sighted and attempted to evade the police.Police chased both vehicles towards Limdi road. While Bhuriya and Hathila managed to escape towards Limdi, Taviyad lost control of his car during the pursuit, causing it to plunge into a stormwater drain along the roadside.Taviyad fled the scene on foot, abandoning the vehicle. On inspection, police recovered three boxes of beer cans and five boxes of quarter whisky bottles from the car. The seized liquor was valued at Rs 66,646, while the abandoned car, estimated to be worth around Rs 5 lakh, was impounded.A case has been registered against all three policemen under relevant sections of the law, and further investigation is underway.
