Double booze fear before New Year

Smugglers are aware that after the successive dry spells of Shravan, Navratri and now Diwali, during which many Gujaratis abstain from alcohol, the demand for New Year’s Eve celebrations will surge.

Intelligence received from various agencies suggests that bootleggers will start smuggling liquor into Gujarat around mid-December. High-ranking state police sources revealed that this time the bootleggers are trying to maximize their profits by possibly deceiving customers. Alcohol lovers who order premium brands may receive low or medium quality spirits mixed with premium brand essence. This tactic poses a challenge for Gujarati liquor lovers whose taste buds may be put to the test this New Year.

Police raid
The state police have drawn up a plan to stop the flow of illegal liquor from Rajasthan, Haryana and Punjab. This came after the arrest of several big bootleggers who were smuggling across Maharashtra.

A senior official of the State Monitoring Cell (SMC) told Mirror that they have formed 10 teams: “We have four police officers of the rank of police inspector, 14 sub-inspectors and a staff of 50 policemen.” We also have our informants in other states in We have been put on high alert so that the secret services can reach us in time. This time we are also using electronic devices to trace vehicles used to bring consignments of liquor into Gujarat,” the police officer said, adding, “We are also monitoring the movement of certain smugglers from Rajasthan who are now selling their own liquor in Gujarat.”

Sources in the piracy circles told Mirror that pirates from Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh have stepped in to fill the gap while the Gujarat police cracked down on local operations. They reportedly employ small-time smugglers under contract to distribute the illegal alcohol.

“Still, this time around New Year it would be a real game of cat and mouse between the smugglers and the police,” commented a source close to a smuggler.
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Gujarat Police sources said senior officers had reached out to their counterparts in neighboring states and urged them to help stop the flow of alcohol into Gujarat in preparation for the New Year.