“Helmets on Top, Liquor Below”: Ahmedabad Police Bust Large Illegal Liquor Haul

Ahmedabad: In a shocking discovery, Ahmedabad city police seized a large consignment of foreign liquor hidden under helmets on a truck coming from Chandigarh. The unusual concealment method initially misled the police, but a closer inspection revealed the illicit cargo.

Police Caught Liquor Hidden Beneath Helmets

During a late-night operation in the Narol area, a team from the Police Commissioner’s Bureau (PCB), under Ahmedabad City Police Commissioner GS Malik, stopped a truck for inspection near Sainath Parking on SP Ring Road, Aslali Circle. The truck’s upper deck was loaded with 1,053 helmets. When officers removed the boxes, they found a massive quantity of foreign liquor hidden underneath, leaving even the PCB team astonished.

Liquor Was Headed to Junagadh

Authorities revealed that the method of hiding the liquor was intentionally designed to evade routine checks. On inspection, police recovered 10,749 bottles of foreign liquor, worth approximately ₹63.86 lakh. The helmets themselves were valued at ₹5.25 lakh. In addition to the truck, a mobile phone and cash were seized. The total estimated value of the confiscated items exceeds ₹84.22 lakh. Preliminary investigations confirmed that the consignment was loaded in Chandigarh and was being transported to Junagadh in violation of Gujarat’s liquor prohibition laws.

Driver Arrested

The truck driver, identified as Johny Baldev Singh Chandel (38) from Hawani village, Mandi district, Himachal Pradesh, was arrested. Police are questioning him to determine the source of the liquor and the intended recipients. An officer explained that smugglers often exploit interstate routes and disguise shipments under legitimate goods, making timely intelligence and close surveillance critical to intercept such operations. The Narol police station is working with other agencies to uncover the larger smuggling network.

Recent Similar Seizures in Gujarat

This seizure comes amid a series of similar anti-smuggling operations in Gujarat. In October 2025, police intercepted a truck near Gota Bridge carrying medicine-labeled boxes concealing 5,520 bottles of IMFL worth ₹30.9 lakh, leading to the arrest of two Punjab-based suspects. In September 2025, Vadodara police seized 8,231 bottles of IMFL worth ₹44.93 lakh from a pickup truck near Kapurai Chauraha.