NAGPUR: The relentless cat-and-mouse chase between police and bootleggers in Maoist-hit Gadchiroli, where prohibition is in force, ended with the arrest of a doctor and interception of 10 cartons of desi liquor and 96 bottles of foreign branded liquor from a govt ambulance.
The consignment pegged at more than Rs 50,000 was seized during a ‘nakabandi’ on Halewada-Kasansoor road.Dr Brahmanand Pungati, who was in charge of Pipli Burgi primary health centre (PHC), was arrested four days ago and may lose his medical licence.
Sources said the consignment was likely to have come from Pakhanjore or Irapnar in Chhattisgarh, where interstate liquor smugglers are learnt to actively push booze across the state borders in Gadchiroli hamlets, including Pipli Burgi, Halewada and Kasansoor.
Police stated Dr Pungati would hold ‘liquor parties‘ at the PHC quarters with his aides, who too were nabbed during the midnight nakabandi operation. Police suspect the liquor was stocked at the PHC and adjoining govt quarters to avoid police raids.
The police action on Pungati, whose contract was scrapped by the zilla parishad and blacklisted, left the medical fraternity in shock.
A wanted bootlegger from Pipli Burgi, Dilip Lekami, was accompanying him, but managed to skirt the police dragnet by jumping off the speeding ambulance.
Maharashtra Medical Council administrator Dr Vinky Rughwani said, “the council has suo moto taken action against Pungati and issued a showcause notice. He has breached the code of ethics for medical practitioners,” he said, adding the body is empowered to suspend his licence.
The Zilla Parishad chief executive officer (CEO), Ayushi Singh, issued an instruction to randomly check ambulances at PHCs in the district, where bootlegging is rampant.
Sub-inspector Akshay Patil, in charge of Halewada armed outpost, stated the ambulance was stopped post-midnight by commandos near their post.
“The ambulance driver (accused Shashikant Telami alias Birja Madavi) told me he was heading to Pipli Burgi PHC with a patient. I was surprised to see cartons and few people inside the ambulance and ordered commandos to check the vehicle. The driver immediately pressed on the accelerator and sped away, but was intercepted 500m away,” said Patil, adding Lekhami got out of the vehicle and slipped into the dark, while others were trapped.
Patil is investigating the case under the supervision of SP Neelotpal. “A private vehicle was parked somewhere near Maveli-Kudri road and liquor bottles were shifted to ambulance from it before they started for Pipli Burgi,” said Patil.
Apart from Pungati, driver Telami who initially introduced himself as Birja Madavi was arrested along with Saurav Lekami and Bhivaji Renu Pada, who were from Pipli Burgi village.
Pungati and other accused were in police custody between September 16 and 18, but managed to get a bail on September 19.
