Gujarat liquor bust: ₹78 lakh IMFL seized in Vadodara, five booked
Synopsis
Gujarat's State Monitoring Cell pulled 22,116 bottles of IMFL worth ₹78 lakh off a truck in Vadodara — the third major liquor bust in under a month. With accused traced to Haryana and Delhi, investigators say an organised interstate smuggling network is actively exploiting Gujarat's prohibition status.
Key Takeaways
Gujarat Police's SMC seized 22,116 bottles of IMFL worth ₹78 lakh during a raid near Kapurai Chokdi, Vadodara on 8 July .
Including the seized truck and property, total confiscated material is valued at ₹93.06 lakh .
Five people booked, including accused from Haryana and Delhi , pointing to an interstate smuggling network.
The raid was carried out on directions from DGP G.S.
Malik to intensify action against illegal liquor activities.
The SMC has conducted at least three major IMFL seizures since 10 June 2025 , with cumulative recoveries running into several crore rupees.
The Gujarat Police's State Monitoring Cell (SMC) on Wednesday, 8 July seized Indian-made foreign liquor (IMFL) worth ₹78 lakh during a targeted raid near Kapurai Chokdi in Vadodara, exposing what investigators believe is part of a broader interstate liquor smuggling network. Including the seized truck and other property, the total value of confiscated material was estimated at ₹93.06 lakh.
How the Raid Unfolded
The operation was conducted on directions from Director General of Police G.S. Malik, who had ordered intensified action against illegal liquor and gambling activities across Gujarat. Acting on specific intelligence, Police Sub-Inspector V.N. Jadeja of the State Monitoring Cell led a team to an area near Mahadev Hotel at Kapurai Chokdi in Vadodara.
Officers recovered 500 cartons containing 22,116 bottles of IMFL from a truck at the location — one of the larger single-point seizures in the city this year.
Who Has Been Booked
Police arrested Daman Sharma, a resident of Dharuhera town in Haryana's Rewari district, who was working as the cleaner of the truck transporting the liquor. Four others have also been named in the case: truck driver Khilu Saini of Pataudi, Haryana; alleged consignor Joga Yadav of Najafgarh, Delhi; and two additional accused, including the person alleged to have ordered the consignment. In total, five individuals have been booked.
A case has been registered at Kapurai Police Station under Sections 65(A)(E), 81, 83, 98(2) and 116(B) of the Gujarat Prohibition Act, along with Sections 336(2), 336(3) and 340(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023. Investigation is ongoing to trace the remaining accused and map the full supply chain.
Pattern of Crackdowns by the SMC
This seizure is the latest in a sustained enforcement drive by the State Monitoring Cell. On 10 June, the SMC intercepted a truck near Bibipura village on the Vadodara-Ahmedabad Expressway in Ahmedabad Rural, seizing IMFL worth more than ₹1.49 crore — with total recovered property valued at over ₹1.74 crore.
In a separate operation on 24 June, the SMC seized IMFL worth more than ₹63 lakh from a truck in Surendranagar district, with total seizure value exceeding ₹93 lakh. The driver was arrested and efforts were launched to trace other network members.
Why This Matters
Gujarat is a prohibition state, making the manufacture, sale, and transport of liquor illegal without a permit. The involvement of accused from Haryana and Delhi in multiple recent cases points to a well-organised interstate supply chain exploiting the state's dry status. Notably, the SMC's three major operations since early June have collectively netted seizures worth several crore rupees, signalling an escalation in both enforcement and alleged smuggling activity. Investigators are continuing efforts to dismantle the wider network behind these consignments.
Point of View
With accused consistently traced to Haryana and Delhi — the pattern here is less about individual offenders and more about a supply corridor that has found Gujarat's prohibition regime a reliable arbitrage opportunity. The SMC's surge in enforcement is notable, but the repeat geography of accused suggests that arrests at the truck level are not yet disrupting the network at its source. The real question is whether investigators can work up the chain from cleaners and drivers to the consignors and financiers who make these runs economically viable.
NationPress
8 Jul 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What was seized in the Vadodara liquor raid on 8 July?
Gujarat Police's State Monitoring Cell seized 500 cartons containing 22,116 bottles of Indian-made foreign liquor (IMFL) worth ₹78 lakh near Kapurai Chokdi in Vadodara. Including the truck and other property, total confiscated material was valued at ₹93.06 lakh.
Who has been arrested or booked in the Vadodara liquor smuggling case?
Five people have been booked: Daman Sharma (truck cleaner, Dharuhera, Haryana), Khilu Saini (truck driver, Pataudi, Haryana), Joga Yadav (alleged consignor, Najafgarh, Delhi), and two others including the person accused of ordering the consignment. Daman Sharma was arrested at the scene.
Under which laws has the case been registered?
The case was registered at Kapurai Police Station under Sections 65(A)(E), 81, 83, 98(2), and 116(B) of the Gujarat Prohibition Act, along with Sections 336(2), 336(3), and 340(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023.
Is this part of a larger smuggling network?
Investigators believe the seized consignment is part of an interstate liquor smuggling network. The accused hail from Haryana and Delhi, and the SMC has conducted at least two other major IMFL seizures since June 2025 with similar inter-state links, suggesting an organised supply chain.
Why is liquor smuggling a concern in Gujarat?
Gujarat is a prohibition state where the manufacture, sale, and transport of liquor without a permit is illegal. This creates a significant price arbitrage that organised networks exploit by transporting liquor from neighbouring states, making enforcement a persistent challenge for Gujarat Police.
