The UP Special Task Force (STF) has arrested an accused carrying a ₹50,000 reward in connection with an interstate liquor smuggling racket spanning UP, Bihar and Jharkhand. The accused, Vikas Soran, was wanted in a gang-related case registered in Azamgarh district under the Uttar Pradesh Gangsters and Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Act, officials said.
Soran, a resident of Kothkala village under Narnaund police station in Hisar district of Haryana, was apprehended on Saturday evening near Huda Ground in the Civil Lines area of Jind district, where he had been hiding to evade arrest. He had been absconding since 2023 after a case was registered against him at Devgaon police station in Azamgarh following the seizure of an illegal liquor consignment, officials added.
According to STF officials, the arrest followed sustained intelligence gathering and surveillance by the Prayagraj unit. Acting on specific inputs about his location, a team carried out a targeted operation to nab him. During interrogation, Soran revealed that he was part of an organised smuggling syndicate allegedly led by Sunil Kumar.
Officials said the network had been active for several years, transporting illicit liquor sourced from Chandigarh and Haryana to multiple districts in UP and further distributing it across Bihar and Jharkhand.
Investigators said the gang used pick-up vehicles to transport illegal consignments, concealing the liquor beneath household goods and using forged transport documents to evade law enforcement checks.
In an earlier incident, Azamgarh police had intercepted one such consignment, leading to the registration of a case under relevant sections of the Excise Act and the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including charges of cheating and forgery.
Following the case, authorities invoked the Gangsters Act against Soran and his associates on August 22, 2023, and announced a cash reward of ₹50,000 for his arrest. Since then, he had been on the run, frequently changing locations across states to evade capture.
After his arrest, Soran was produced before a court in Jind, Haryana, where transit remand proceedings are underway. Officials said he will be brought to UP for further legal action in connection with the Azamgarh case.
The STF is now expanding its probe into the syndicate’s operations, including its supply chain, financial network and interstate linkages. Further arrests are likely.
