Booze on camelback: Delhi Police crackdown on gang smuggling liquor into capital through forest routes

The smugglers operated under the cover of darkness, steering three camels through forested areas and avoiding all motorable roads.

Delhi Police have uncovered one of the most unusual smuggling operations the city where a gang of men relied on camels to secretly transport illicit liquor from Faridabad into South Delhi, The Times of India reported.

According to the officials, the smugglers operated under the cover of darkness, steering three camels through forested areas and avoiding all motorable roads. This allowed them to bypass checkpoints and dodge patrolling units. The slow pace of the animals actually worked to their advantage, as the camels blended easily into the wilderness and did not raise suspicion.

However, the operation came to an end on Thursday night after police received a tip-off. A special team began tracking the animals and eventually intercepted the smugglers in the forest area near the Surajkund border, close to Bhati mines. The gang of five, identified as Vinod Bhadana (48), Sunil Bhadana (38), Saurabh (26), Ajay (25), and Rahul (22), was taken into custody. Along with the men, three camels were rounded up and later handed over to animal welfare groups.

VIDEO | Delhi: DCP South Ankit Chauhan addresses press conference on smuggling of illicit liquor using camels, says,

"A gang was smuggling liquor into Delhi from Faridabad by riding camels through forest routes. Police have arrested five traffickers and taken charge of three… pic.twitter.com/hC91f39GQY

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) September 12, 2025

Police found that the camels had been loaded with liquor concealed in 42 cartons. Inside were 24 bottles of beer and nearly 2,000 quarters of illicit alcohol. The accused revealed that they had bought the camels about a year ago from a contact in Rajasthan’s Alwar district, each costing between Rs 60,000 and Rs 80,000. Their strategy was to make early morning trips when the chances of encountering police checks were low.

DCP (South) Ankit Chauhan said the suspects were intercepted in the forest area near Surajkund border near Bhati mines by a team comprising inspector Umesh Yadav and other officers. "The men adopted the unorthodox method as there was increased police vigilance along traditional smuggling routes," he was quoted by TOI as saying.

All five accused now face cases under the Excise Act as well as the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act. Their criminal backgrounds show that some of them are repeat offenders. Vinod and Sunil, both from Anangpur in Faridabad, already had cases filed against them in Sangam Vihar, Govindpuri, and Maidan Garhi. Ajay, from Sangam Vihar, has 11 previous cases, while Rahul has three, two of them linked to liquor smuggling. Only Saurabh, originally from Budaun in Uttar Pradesh, had no prior record.

This camel-led smuggling bust forms part of a larger crackdown by South district police on Excise Act violations. In the last two weeks alone, authorities have recovered over 11,000 liquor quarters, 191 beer bottles, and multiple vehicles used for transport. Investigations are still underway to track the supply chain, identify the sources of the liquor, and find out who the final buyers were.