3 min readNov 2, 2026 12:57 PM ISTPolice station in-charge Dilip Puri was killed in Dewas district after being run over by a truck suspected of smuggling illicit liquor during an interception operation.A police station in-charge died after allegedly being run over by a truck suspected of transporting illicit liquor during an interception operation in Madhya Pradesh’s Dewas district late Sunday night, police said. The incident comes amid an intensified crackdown on the illicit liquor trade following a series of suspected hooch deaths in the state.Dilip Puri, the Khategaon police station in-charge, was killed on the Harda-Nemawar highway after the truck’s rear wheel ran over him. According to police, the driver allegedly attempted to flee when Puri and his team tried to intercept the vehicle. Puri, a 2007-batch Sub-Inspector, was leading a team that had been tracking the truck following intelligence inputs that it was transporting illicit liquor from Harda to Gujarat via Indore.Police said the driver had been arrested and the truck seized. The vehicle was allegedly found carrying liquor. An investigation is underway to establish the source of the consignment and whether others were involved in the alleged smuggling operation.Dewas Superintendent of Police Aditya Mishra had formed more than five teams to intercept the truck. The operation involved police personnel, including the station in-charges of Kannod, Satwas and Khategaon. Barricades had been set up at several locations as the teams pursued the vehicle.According to the police account, the truck driver had stopped on the highway to drink water when Puri reached the spot to apprehend him. Puri allegedly asked the driver to get down, following which a scuffle broke out. The driver then allegedly attempted to drive away, causing Puri to fall from the vehicle and come under its rear wheel, police said.Congress leader and Madhya Pradesh Leader of Opposition Umang Singhar condemned the death of Khategaon police station in-charge Dilip Puri, alleging that the incident reflected the growing audacity of criminal networks in the state. “Has the fear of the government and administration completely disappeared from the minds of the mafia in the state?” he asked, calling the incident a “slap in the face of the system.”Local BJP MLA Ashish Sharma said the administration was taking action against the illicit liquor trade and that the police were conducting a large-scale crackdown on the network.“The police are carrying out action on a large scale. This incident also occurred after the police received information and attempted to apprehend the vehicle. The administration will take action against everyone involved in this illegal trade,” he said.Story continues below this adThe incident comes amid a wider crackdown on illicit liquor in Madhya Pradesh following the deaths of 13 people in Dewas district in September and October after they allegedly consumed spurious liquor.The deaths were reported from Chandana, Binjana and surrounding villages between September 27 and October 16. The district administration initially rejected allegations that the deaths were linked to spurious liquor, describing reports of hooch deaths as false and misleading. A high-level inquiry was subsequently ordered by the Ujjain divisional commissioner, and police began investigating an alleged illicit liquor network.The state government has since transferred Dewas Collector Ritu Raj and Superintendent of Police Puneet Gahlot. Three excise officials, including the district excise officer, have also been suspended over alleged negligence. Police have arrested 10 people in the case and are investigating the alleged manufacture and distribution of spurious liquor.© The Indian Express Pvt LtdAnand Mohan J is an award-winning Senior Correspondent for The Indian Express, currently leading the... Read More AdvertisementLoading Recommendations...AdvertisementAdvertisement