BHOPAL: The sudden death of liquor contractor Mohin Jaiswal, a key figure in the alleged inter-state bootlegging network operating between Madhya Pradesh and prohibition-bound Gujarat, has dealt a setback to the ongoing investigation into the high-profile racket.
Jaiswal died of complications following a brain stroke at a hospital in Vadodara on Sunday, just as investigators were hoping to question him to unravel the network's operations and identify its bigger players.
The racket came under the scanner after a truck allegedly carrying a huge consignment of Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL), concealed in specially constructed compartments, crushed on-duty police inspector Dilip Puri to death while he was attempting to intercept it on the Indore-Betul Highway in Dewas district on November 2.
What initially appeared to be a liquor smuggling case involving a truckload of IMFL has since grown into an alleged multi-district, inter-state bootlegging operation, with investigators tracing the supply chain to licensed liquor shops in western Madhya Pradesh and the suspected smuggling network extending into Gujarat.
So far, eight accused have been arrested by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of Dewas district police, including liquor contractors and former Congress leader Rahul Jaiswal and his business partner Manish Jaiswal.
However, Mohin Jaiswal's death has deprived investigators of what they believe could have been a crucial source of information about the racket's operations in Gujarat, its local operatives and the route through which liquor was being smuggled into the dry state.
Mohin, who was a business partner of Rahul and Manish Jaiswal, was considered particularly important to the probe because of his alleged knowledge of the network's Gujarat operations. Investigators were hoping his questioning would reveal how consignments sourced from licensed liquor outlets in Madhya Pradesh were transported to the Gujarat border and subsequently distributed through a clandestine network.
A source privy to the investigation said that identifying the so-called 'donkey route' — the clandestine transportation corridor used to move liquor into Gujarat — remains one of the biggest challenges before the police.
From licensed liquor shops to Gujarat's forests
Investigations have so far established that liquor was being sourced from three licensed wine shops in Harda district, which were jointly operated by four men. Two of the alleged business partners, Rahul and Manish Jaiswal, have already been arrested. Mohin's death has now left investigators dependent on the interrogation of the remaining accused and technical evidence to reconstruct the network.
The suspected modus operandi involved procuring IMFL from licensed liquor shops in western Madhya Pradesh, transporting it in a truck fitted with concealed compartments and dumping the consignments in forested stretches of Alirajpur district, which shares a border with Gujarat.
From these forest locations, local operatives allegedly took the liquor across the border in cars and other smaller vehicles, particularly through areas adjoining Dahod district. Investigators are also examining possible links with operatives in Chhota Udaipur district of Gujarat.
With Mohin no longer available for questioning, the SIT is relying heavily on the interrogation of Manish Jaiswal, who was arrested in Vadodara, along with other accused, to establish the network's Gujarat connections.
FASTag, CDRs hold key to unravelling the route
The police are now banking on scientific and digital evidence, particularly the FASTag transaction records of the seized truck, to reconstruct its movements and identify the locations where consignments were loaded, transported and unloaded.
Investigators believe that the truck had been used by the racket since June-July 2026 to transport liquor procured from licensed outlets in western and south-western Madhya Pradesh. Its specially constructed internal chambers allegedly helped conceal the liquor consignments and evade routine checks.
The interrogation of the two truck drivers, who were arrested on November 5 following a brief encounter and are currently undergoing treatment at a hospital in Indore, is also expected to provide crucial leads. The truck owner, Keram Singh, is another important link being investigated.
The police are examining the drivers' call detail records (CDRs), FASTag movements and other available evidence to establish the truck's routes and identify those who received the consignments in Alirajpur.
"Our biggest challenge now is to trace the donkey route through which liquor transported from wine shops in western Madhya Pradesh would have made its way into Gujarat. We have obtained some vital clues about operatives in Dahod and Chhota Udaipur districts. With the help of scientific analysis of FASTag records and CDRs, we hope to identify and reach the Gujarat-based operatives of the racket," sources connected with the investigation said.
Barwani liquor shops also under scanner
The investigation, which initially focused on three licensed liquor outlets in Harda district, has now widened considerably. Police have identified at least three licensed liquor vends in southwestern Madhya Pradesh's Barwani district that are suspected of supplying IMFL for smuggling into Gujarat.
Interestingly, the same group of men allegedly operating the three liquor shops in Harda is also behind the three outlets in Barwani, strengthening investigators' suspicions of a wider and organised supply network.
The SIT is now examining whether liquor was being channelled through the back doors of licensed outlets not only in Harda and Barwani but also in other districts of western and southwestern Madhya Pradesh, particularly those sharing a border with Gujarat.
The alleged involvement of a prominent Indore-based liquor trader is also under scrutiny. Investigators are examining possible links between the trader and key accused, including Rahul Jaiswal, Manish Jaiswal and Patendra Jaiswal.
Mohin's financial troubles add another dimension
Investigators are also looking into Mohin Jaiswal's financial affairs. Preliminary information suggests that he was under considerable financial stress due to mounting loan liabilities, reportedly running into Rs 300 crore to Rs 350 crore.
He was also allegedly involved in a major financial dispute that caused substantial losses to a BJP leader in Dewas district and reportedly pushed the elderly politician to the brink of suicide around a year ago.
Police sources believe that Mohin's questioning could potentially have exposed individuals operating above the arrested contractors in the alleged bootlegging hierarchy, both in Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat. His death has therefore complicated efforts to establish the financial architecture of the network and identify its alleged principal beneficiaries.
Dewas Superintendent of Police Aditya Mishra said eight persons had so far been arrested from Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat, including business partners Rahul and Manish Jaiswal. Bounties of Rs 10,000 each have also been announced for the arrest of certain other suspects whose alleged involvement has emerged during the investigation.
At least six teams of Dewas district police, operating as part of the SIT, are currently camping in different districts of western Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat to pursue further leads and make additional arrests.
With the probe now extending from Harda and Barwani to Alirajpur in MP, besides Dahod, Chhota Udaipur and Vadodara in Gujarat, investigators are attempting to piece together an alleged supply chain that used licensed liquor outlets as its source, forested border stretches as transit points and small vehicles as the final link into Gujarat. The biggest question confronting the SIT is no longer merely where the liquor came from, but who controlled the entire operation, how far its network extended and who the bigger players were, allegedly operating behind the arrested contractors.