Palanpur (Gujarat),  A driver of the Banaskantha police department has been arrested here for using police vehicle for smuggling liquor from Rajasthan to Gujarat.

A Senior police officer will conduct a departmental inquiry into how the driver got possession of the vehicle from the Motor Vehicle section of the Director General of the Police headquarters.

According to the police complaint lodged with the Panthawada police station, a team was posted at the Vaghor square on Sunday night. The police team was checking vehicles entering the state from the Rajasthan side. On seeing a police vehicle (Bolero Jeep) with registration GJ-18-G-5698, a police team out of curiosity stopped the vehicle and noticed that driver Vishnu Chaudhary was accompanied by another person, but there was no officer in the vehicle.

On checking the police vehicle, Banaskantha police found 294 bottles of India made foreign liquor (IMFL) with a market value of Rs 1,21,140 which he had loaded from Mount Abu road. During questioning, driver informed the local police that the vehicle is allotted to Deputy Superintendent of Police with CID (crime). After seizing the liquor, the local police informed the senior officers.

Panthawada police arrested Vishnu Chaudhary and the person accompanying him was his brother Jayesh Chaudhary. They were to deliver the smuggled liquor to a bootlegger in Ahmedabad, said sources from the Banaskantha police.

"It is a serious offence, and a departmental inquiry will be conducted on how the vehicle was allowed to be taken out of headquarters, when the officer is on leave," said J.R. Mothalia, Border Range Inspector General.

The officer further said that the vehicle is allotted to Deputy Superintendent of Police. She is a direct recruit and officer was on leave as she was preparing for civil services examination. On Sunday, she had appeared for competitive exams, she resumed duty only on Monday (June 6).