Officials from the State Excise Department were surprised on Tuesday when they found that liquor smugglers had hidden illegal alcohol in a secret compartment in a truck. The top part of the truck was filled with fly ash to hide the liquor underneath. This led to the seizure of illegal liquor worth Rs 20 lakh from Madhya Pradesh.

The Excise Department had been investigating liquor smuggling from Madhya Pradesh to the Vidarbha region. After a two-month investigation, they discovered that smugglers were using hidden compartments in trucks.

On Tuesday, officials received a tip about a suspicious truck passing through Automotive Square. They set up a checkpoint from Automotive Square to Vinoba Bhave Nagar. During the search, they stopped a truck carrying fly ash. A thorough check of the driver’s cabin revealed a hidden door leading to the truck’s loading area. Inside, they found over 300 boxes of liquor in a secret compartment. The truck, liquor, and two mobile phones, worth a total of Rs 40.51 lakh, were seized.

Charges were filed against the truck driver, Satish Dilip Sonwane, and cleaner, Yogesh Janrao Dhurwe, under the Maharashtra Prohibition Act. The truck owner, Vishal Anand Jambhulkar, is currently in hiding. The operation was led by Superintendent (Excise) Surajkumar Ramod, with a team including Sub-Inspector Randheer Gawande, Constable Dhawal Tijare, and other officers and staff.