Gujarat liquor bust: ₹63 lakh IMFL seized from truck on Rajkot-Bhavnagar Highway
Synopsis
Gujarat's State Monitoring Cell seized 5,280 bottles of IMFL worth ₹63.14 lakh from a truck on the Rajkot-Bhavnagar Highway, where the liquor was allegedly hidden under bags of liquid detergent. With four suspects still at large and total seizure value crossing ₹97 lakh, the bust is among the largest single-haul prohibition interceptions in the state in recent weeks.
Key Takeaways
5,280 bottles of IMFL worth ₹63.14 lakh seized from a Tata truck near Halenda village on 6 June .
Liquor was allegedly concealed under 2,340 bags of Mor Light liquid detergent worth ₹14.01 lakh as cover cargo.
Total value of seized goods — liquor, truck, and detergent — stood at ₹97.16 lakh .
Case registered under the Gujarat Prohibition Act ; no arrests made at the scene.
Four persons declared wanted, including the truck driver, receiver, sender, and truck owner — all remain untraced.
A consignment of Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) worth over ₹63 lakh was seized from a truck parked outside a hotel on the Rajkot-Bhavnagar Highway on Saturday, 6 June, during a prohibition raid by the State Monitoring Cell (SMC), officials said. The operation marks one of the larger single-seizure interceptions reported in Gujarat in recent weeks.
How the Raid Unfolded
The SMC conducted the operation at the parking area of Tulsi Hotel near Halenda village, which falls under the jurisdiction of Aji Dam Police Station in Rajkot city. Officers recovered 5,280 bottles of IMFL valued at ₹63.14 lakh from a Tata truck during the raid.
Notably, the liquor was allegedly concealed beneath 2,340 bags of Mor Light liquid detergent worth ₹14.01 lakh, which investigators believe was used as cover cargo to evade detection. The truck itself was valued at ₹20 lakh.
Total Seizure Value and Legal Action
The combined value of all seized goods — including the liquor, the truck, and the detergent consignment — amounted to ₹97.16 lakh, according to officials. A case has been registered under Sections 65(A)(E), 81, 83, 98(2), and 116(B) of the Gujarat Prohibition Act.
No arrests were made at the scene. However, the SMC has declared four persons wanted in connection with the case: the unidentified truck driver, the intended receiver of the liquor, the sender of the consignment from outside Gujarat, and the truck's owner. All four remain at large as investigation continues.
Investigation Focus
Authorities are working to establish the full supply chain — the source of the liquor, the transportation route used, and the intended delivery point. This comes amid a broader pattern of IMFL smuggling into Gujarat, which has enforced prohibition since 1961.
Recent Prohibition Seizures Across Gujarat
Last month, law enforcement agencies seized IMFL worth more than ₹29 lakh across two separate operations in Gandhinagar, recovering over 5,200 bottles and beer cans from vehicles that were found abandoned after drivers fled police checks.
In a separate case, police in Mahuva taluka of Bhavnagar district dismantled an illegal IMFL manufacturing unit, seizing liquor, machinery, and related material worth ₹15.25 lakh. Six people were arrested in that operation, while three alleged operators were declared absconding. The string of recent interceptions suggests sustained pressure on bootlegging networks operating across central and southern Gujarat.
Point of View
Not a casual run. Gujarat's prohibition framework is among India's oldest, yet interceptions of this scale keep recurring, which raises a pointed question: is the enforcement net catching the couriers while the principals remain untouched? The pattern of 'no arrests, four wanted' is consistent across multiple recent Gujarat busts, suggesting the state's monitoring machinery is effective at seizures but has yet to crack the organising layer of these networks.
NationPress
10 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What was seized in the Rajkot-Bhavnagar Highway liquor raid?
Officers seized 5,280 bottles of IMFL valued at ₹63.14 lakh from a Tata truck parked near Halenda village on the Rajkot-Bhavnagar Highway. The total value of all seized property — including the truck and cover cargo — reached ₹97.16 lakh.
Who conducted the prohibition raid and where?
The raid was carried out by Gujarat's State Monitoring Cell (SMC) at the parking area of Tulsi Hotel near Halenda village, under the jurisdiction of Aji Dam Police Station in Rajkot city.
Were any arrests made in the Gujarat liquor seizure case?
No arrests were made during the raid. The SMC has declared four persons wanted — the truck driver, the intended receiver, the sender from outside Gujarat, and the truck owner — all of whom remain untraced.
How was the liquor allegedly hidden in the truck?
According to officials, the IMFL consignment was allegedly concealed beneath 2,340 bags of Mor Light liquid detergent worth ₹14.01 lakh, which investigators believe was used as cover cargo to avoid detection at checkpoints.
How does this seizure compare to other recent Gujarat prohibition busts?
It is among the larger single-haul interceptions in Gujarat in recent weeks. Last month, over ₹29 lakh worth of IMFL was seized in two separate Gandhinagar operations, and an illegal manufacturing unit in Mahuva taluka of Bhavnagar district was dismantled with goods worth ₹15.25 lakh confiscated.
