Chandigarh, May 21 (PTI) Punjab's excise and police departments in a joint operation busted two gangs involved in illegal smuggling of liquor from neighbouring Haryana, said an official spokesperson on Saturday.

The operation was launched to check illegal smuggling and distribution of liquor into Punjab from neighbouring states.

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In the first case, a four-wheeler carrying 115 cases (1,380 bottles) of illegally smuggled liquor, meant for sale in Chandigarh, was stopped near Khamano in Fatehgarh Sahib district.

The accused could not produce any valid documents, said the spokesperson.

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The accused confessed to ferrying smuggled liquor from Chandigarh into Punjab multiple times and used to supply it to the organized bootlegger network in Fatehgarh Sahib and Ludhiana districts.

The consignment of liquor was brought from a vend in Chandigarh and was being transported to Fatehgarh Sahib and Ludhiana.

A car loaded with around 101 cases (1,212 bottles) of liquor of different bottling plants of Chandigarh was stopped near Sanghol–Khamano area of Fatehgarh Sahib district.

The liquor found was meant for sale in Chandigarh only. Two accused were arrested.

In both cases, FIRs have been registered in Fatehgarh Sahib.

The officials said the entire chain of forward and backward linkages leading to disclosure of the main suppliers and recipient of smuggled liquor is being pursued expeditiously.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)