Rajkot: Police Inspector Vikram Vasava of Kuvadva Road police station has been suspended after the State Monitoring Cell (SMC) seized Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) worth more than ₹70 lakh from an area under the police station’s jurisdiction on June 19.

The action came after a preliminary inquiry by the SMC reportedly linked the liquor consignment to notorious Saurashtra bootlegger Firoz Sandhi, prompting questions over local police vigilance.

During a raid at R.K. Industrial Zone on the Rajkot-Ahmedabad highway, the SMC recovered 26,304 bottles of IMFL valued at over ₹70 lakh. The total value of the seized property, including vehicles and other items, is estimated to exceed ₹1 crore.

Meanwhile, Pareshkumar Patel was detained for questioning. He reportedly stated that he had been sourcing liquor from Sandhi for nearly a year and that the premises had been rented by Sandhi for ₹40,000 per month. He allegedly told officials that Sandhi had informed him about an incoming liquor consignment that was to be transferred to other vehicles.

Investigators further claimed that Firoz Sandhi and his brother Sultan arrived at the site in separate vehicles on the day of the raid but managed to flee before they could be arrested.

Based on the seizure and initial findings, Rajkot Police Commissioner Brajesh Kumar Jha ordered the suspension of PI Vasava for alleged negligence in duty. DeshGujarat