VADODARA: With Lok Sabha elections around the corner, illegal liquor business is expected to shoot up in and around the city. To rein in the network of liquor carriers, city police have begun cracking down on bootleggers. The detection of crime branch (DCB) has already arrested four notorious bootleggers, who have a vast network in the city as well as across Central Gujarat , in the past two months.Crime branch sleuths said these bootleggers bring in big stock of liquor illegally from other states and sell them to small-time bootleggers, who in turn take to retail sale. “With elections approaching, these bootleggers were in action to smuggle in huge stock of liquor in the state. They have a strong network in districts of Central Gujarat and so we had prepared a plan to nab them,” said Jaydeepsinh Jadeja, DCP (crime).The police arrested Alpesh alias Alpu Sindhi Wadhwadni, Lalchand Khanani, Lalji Rabari and Zubair Memon. Lalchand has been externed from the city. These bootleggers have been in the business of selling liquor since years. “We have broken the backbone of liquor trade in the city.Liquor flow has literally dried up in and around Vadodara,” Jadeja told TOI. The police said they are keeping vigil on National Highway-8 and checking vehicles regularly. Liquor worth lakhs of rupees has been seized in the city in the last few days.

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