Ahmedabad Crime Branch has seized 5,988 bottles of Indian-made foreign liquor allegedly concealed in a secret compartment beneath sacks of peanuts in a truck on the Narol–Vishala Road, arresting the vehicle’s driver and recovering goods worth a total of Rs 27.55 lakh.
The truck was stopped near Nayara petrol pump and opposite Ashif Steel after Crime Branch personnel received information that a large consignment of liquor was being brought into Ahmedabad from Madhya Pradesh. The vehicle was carrying sacks of groundnuts, and officers took it to the Crime Branch office for a detailed inspection, citing the traffic conditions and the late-night timing.
After around 100 sacks were unloaded with the help of workers, officers found a concealed compartment made with iron angles in the middle section of the trailer. The compartment contained 5,988 bottles of liquor valued at Rs 18.69 lakh, according to the report. The police also seized the truck and other material, taking the total value of the recovered goods to Rs 27.55 lakh.
The arrested driver has been identified as Arbaaz Rashid Idani, a resident of Dhar district in Madhya Pradesh. During questioning, he reportedly told the police that an unidentified person using a mobile number had handed him the truck near Thandla in Madhya Pradesh. He was allegedly instructed to deliver it to a person in Ahmedabad whose identity had not been disclosed to him.
The Crime Branch has registered an offence under the Gujarat Prohibition Act. Police said the investigation would now focus on identifying the local bootlegger who allegedly ordered the consignment and the other people involved in its movement. The report does not identify any additional accused or confirm whether further arrests have been made.
Investigators also found two e-way bills in the truck cabin. One document showed groundnuts being transported from a firm in Khotakheda Doriya in Madhya Pradesh to Nakoda Sales Agency in Ahmedabad. The second document indicated that groundnuts were being transported from Ahmedabad to Jamnagar.
According to the police account cited in the report, the documents were prepared to resemble genuine e-way bills and showed goods valued at Rs 4.61 lakh. Investigators allege that the paperwork was intended to help the truck pass toll plazas and border checkpoints without attracting attention and to avoid suspicion at weighing stations.
The case highlights how freight vehicles, commodity consignments and digital transport documentation can be used to conceal prohibited goods while moving through urban entry routes. In this instance, the alleged concealment was detected only after the vehicle was diverted for a detailed inspection rather than being cleared through a routine visual check.
The immediate police action was triggered by specific intelligence about the truck’s movement. The Crime Branch’s next steps are to trace the person who arranged the vehicle, identify the intended recipient in Ahmedabad and establish how the e-way bills were generated and used during the journey.
