The Alappuzha police on Sunday have seized a lorry that was ferrying nearly 7,000 litres of illicit spirit. The lorry driver, Vadivelu, 26, of Mettupalayam near Coimbatore, has been arrested.
According to the police, the lorry on Saturday night, hit a private bus near Bernard Junction at Kalavoor and sped away without stopping. The bus driver alerted the police, who tried to stop the lorry near the Cemetery Bridge. However, the lorry driver dodged that stop as well and kept moving ahead, following which the police gave chase to the vehicle. The lorry was finally intercepted near the Alappuzha Traffic Police Station. The lorry cleaner, later identified as Veluchami, fled the spot.
On questioning, the lorry driver said, he was transporting a load of onions to Adoor. However, the police got suspicious and on inspecting the lorry, found 231 plastic cans, each of 35-litre capacity and containing the illicit brew, hidden beneath sacks of onions. Most of the cans were not filled to their capacity and the total contraband was measured to be 6,930 litres.
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The lorry driver is learnt to have told the police that the spirit from Mettupalayam was meant to be delivered at Adoor, though he was not aware of the identity of the sender or receiver. The Alappuzha South police have registered a case and further investigation is on.