Ahmedabad Police register 436 prohibition cases, arrest 476 after Bhavnagar liquor deaths
Synopsis
Thirteen people are dead in Bhavnagar after methanol-laced liquor was disguised in Royal Stag bottles and distributed across villages — and the ripple has reached Ahmedabad, where police ran a four-day blitz that netted 476 arrests and ₹80.56 lakh in seized property. With 27 accused arrested in Bhavnagar and a supply trail allegedly running to Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat's prohibition machinery is under its sharpest test in years.
Key Takeaways
Ahmedabad Police registered 436 prohibition cases and arrested 476 people in a special drive from 18 to 21 August .
Total property seized across all cases was worth over ₹80.56 lakh , including 11,479 bottles of foreign liquor and beer.
The drive was ordered by DGP G S Malik following the Bhavnagar spurious liquor tragedy , which claimed 13 lives by 23 August .
The Bhavnagar liquor was laced with toxic methanol and packaged to resemble the Royal Stag brand; 27 people have been arrested in the case.
Investigators are probing an alleged raw material supply chain from Madhya Pradesh and neighbouring states.
Seven people were booked under the PASA Act during the Ahmedabad drive; the crackdown is described as a continuous operation .
Ahmedabad City Police registered 436 prohibition cases and arrested 476 people during a special four-day crackdown on illegal liquor activities from 18 to 21 August, as authorities intensified enforcement in the wake of a spurious liquor tragedy in neighbouring Bhavnagar district that claimed 13 lives by 23 August. The drive was ordered by Director General of Police (DGP) G S Malik to curb the illegal liquor trade across the state.
Scale of the Operation
Teams from police stations across the city and the Crime Branch participated in the operation, according to Ahmedabad Police Commissioner Anupam Singh Gahlaut. Of the 436 cases registered, 73 involved foreign liquor — including three classified as serious — with police seizing 11,479 bottles of foreign liquor and beer valued at ₹29.93 lakh. The total value of property seized in foreign liquor cases stood at ₹80.56 lakh.
A further 336 cases involved country-made liquor, with 3,693 litres seized, valued at ₹7.38 lakh, and total property seized in those cases amounting to ₹8.43 lakh. Seven individuals allegedly linked to prohibition-related activities were booked under the Prevention of Anti-Social Activities (PASA) Act and remanded to jail.
Key Seizures Across Police Stations
Sola Police seized 2,762 bottles of foreign liquor and beer worth ₹5.05 lakh along with a four-wheeler valued at ₹4.5 lakh, booking four people. Sabarmati Police seized 1,740 bottles valued at ₹3 lakh along with cash, booking one person. Naroda Police made the largest single haul — 3,840 bottles worth ₹12.61 lakh, a four-wheeler valued at ₹10 lakh, mobile phones, and cash — booking four people.
The Bhavnagar Tragedy: What Is Known
The crackdown follows a spurious liquor tragedy in Bhavnagar district in which toxic methanol-laced alcohol, packaged in bottles designed to mimic the popular Royal Stag brand, was allegedly manufactured and distributed across Bhavnagar and surrounding villages. Two more victims — Mukesh Damor, 36, and Bhargav Upadhyay, 42 — died during treatment, according to district officials, pushing the death toll to 13. Three people were still under treatment at the time of the update.
Investigators have registered an FIR naming 21 accused, with 27 people arrested so far. Authorities are probing the alleged supply of raw material from Madhya Pradesh and neighbouring states as part of the manufacturing and distribution chain.
PASA Action and Continuous Drive
Commissioner Gahlaut said the operation would not be limited to the four-day window. 'This drive is not limited to just three days; it is a continuous operation,' he said, noting that action covered those found in possession of liquor, those consuming alcohol, and those driving under the influence.
In the 10 days preceding the drive, around 41 people were booked under PASA — including nine involved in offences against the human body, approximately 14 accused in theft and purse-snatching cases, and 18 bootleggers. The bootleggers were sent to jails in Bhuj, Surat, and Rajkot Central Jail. Police stations are additionally preparing lists of individuals who may qualify for preventive detention under PASA based on repeat or qualifying offences.
As Gujarat's prohibition law remains one of the strictest in the country, the Bhavnagar tragedy has renewed pressure on enforcement agencies to dismantle supply networks that have proven resilient to periodic crackdowns.
Point of View
Yet the Bhavnagar tragedy — methanol disguised in brand-lookalike bottles, a supply chain allegedly crossing state lines — exposes how industrialised the illegal liquor trade has become. A four-day blitz in Ahmedabad and 436 cases registered is enforcement optics as much as enforcement: the real question is whether the inter-state supply network survives the crackdown or simply reroutes. With 27 arrests in Bhavnagar and the Madhya Pradesh angle still under investigation, the structural failure is not a shortage of laws but a shortage of sustained, intelligence-led enforcement that targets supply chains rather than street-level possession.
NationPress
25 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
How many people were arrested in the Ahmedabad prohibition drive?
Ahmedabad Police arrested 476 people and registered 436 prohibition cases during a special four-day drive from 18 to 21 August . The operation was ordered by DGP G S Malik in the aftermath of the Bhavnagar spurious liquor deaths.
What happened in the Bhavnagar spurious liquor tragedy?
At least 13 people died in Bhavnagar district after consuming liquor laced with toxic methanol , which was packaged in bottles designed to resemble the Royal Stag brand. Authorities have registered an FIR naming 21 accused and arrested 27 people so far.
What is the value of liquor and property seized in the Ahmedabad drive?
Police seized 11,479 bottles of foreign liquor and beer valued at ₹29.93 lakh , with total property seized in foreign liquor cases worth ₹80.56 lakh . An additional 3,693 litres of country-made liquor worth ₹7.38 lakh was also seized.
What is the PASA Act and how was it used in this crackdown?
The Prevention of Anti-Social Activities (PASA) Act allows for preventive detention of individuals deemed a threat to public order. During and around the drive, 41 people were booked under PASA in Ahmedabad — including 18 bootleggers sent to jails in Bhuj, Surat, and Rajkot.
Is the Ahmedabad anti-liquor drive a one-time operation?
No. Commissioner Anupam Singh Gahlaut stated the drive is a 'continuous operation' and not limited to the four-day window. Police stations are also preparing lists of individuals who may qualify for preventive detention under the PASA Act based on repeat offences.
