Five Ballia cops face action for nexus with liquor smugglers

VARANASI: Three days after action was taken against 22 policemen in Chandauli, two sub-inspectors and three constables in Ballia also came in the firing line for links with liquor smugglers.
Senior officials got intelligence inputs of a nexus between local cops and smuggler for transporting liquor in bordering Bihar, a dry state following which strict vigil and tip-offs enabled seizure of two big liquor consignments in Ballia by a special team after which policemen posted at Haldi and Dubahar police stations came on radar of SP Vipin Tada
On Sunday night, Tada ordered the attachment of sub-inspector Suryanath Yadav and constables Satish Yadav and Abhishek Yadav of Haldi police station, and SI Surjit Singh and constable Shivmangal Singh Yadav of Dubahar police station to police lines.
SP Ballia told TOI on Monday, “On getting inputs, I sent special teams without informing Haldi and Dubahar police stations. The teams raided two locations and seized 765 boxes of Indian Made Foreign Liquor stocked for smuggling to Bihar and arrested the smugglers.”
The role of outpost in-charges and some constables seems doubtful and a deputy SP has been assigned the probe, so the five cops have been attached with police lines to ensure fair investigation, the SP added.
“Role of more policemen is also under scanner. Our move of sharing phone numbers of senior police officials with the public has started yielding results as we are getting inputs and information easily,” said Tada.
Similarly, surveillance cell and Alinagar cops seized a truck and car carrying 1,750 litre of IMFL of some brands in 190 boxes in Chandauli.
SP Chandauli Amit Kumar said on Monday, “We arrested three men from Haryana and recovered liquor worth Rs 20 lakh being smuggled to Bihar. A sticker mentioning ‘On Army Duty’ was pasted on the truck and liquor was being illegally transported on documents of animal fodder.”
Chandauli SP Amit Kumar had swung into action after an audio clip of a conversation between a constable of Khandwa police station and smuggler went viral in which the cop was taking guarantee for safe passage for taking liquor consignments to Bihar.
The action started yielding results as several liquor consignments were recovered in Chandauli between Saturday and Monday.
Only on March 6, police had caught three smugglers trying to cross the border on foot and motorcycles with small liquor consignments.