Prima facie, they had a clash with a rival liquor contractor in Samrala area who allegedly banged his Bolero vehicle into their Innova and the vehicle skidded into the canal, police said. (File)Three days after two cousins died after the Innova car plunged into Sirhind feeder canal, the Khanna Police registered an FIR and initiated a probe, suspecting the role of liquor mafia into the incident.Both the deceased have also been booked as they were suspected to be transporting illicit liquor.Vikasdeep Singh and his cousin Akashdeep Singh, of Faridkot district, died after their Innova vehicle plunged into the canal late on July 24. Initially, police suspected it to be an accident but later it was revealed during a probe that they were transporting illicit liquor.Prima facie, they had a clash with a rival liquor contractor in Samrala area who allegedly banged his Bolero vehicle into their Innova and the vehicle skidded into the canal, police said.Inspector Harwinder Singh, SHO of Samrala police station, said, “Both the deceased were involved in illegal liquor trade and transportation. They were transporting illegal liquor boxes from Chandigarh. Their vehicle was being escorted by one Sandeep Singh, a bootlegger, for whom they worked. He was travelling in his Thar vehicle a few kilometers ahead of the Innova. Prima facie, on the way, they had a clash with a local liquor contractor near Samrala, who banged his Bolero vehicle into the Innova leading to the incident. We are trying to identify the driver of the Bolero vehicle.”The FIR has been registered at Samrala police station under the sections 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 61 (2) (criminal conspiracy) of the BNS and 61/1/14 of Excise Act (illegal import, export, transport, manufacture, sale, or possession of intoxicants or liquor). Those booked include both the deceased, Sandeep Kumar of Faridkot and the unidentified driver of the Bolero vehicle.The FIR has been registered on the statement of Rimpi Singh of Sikhanwala village of Faridkot who told police that on July 24, his son Vikasdeep and nephew Akashdeep were travelling in Innova and ferrying 50 boxes of liquor from Chandigarh.Story continues below this adSandeep Kumar, for whom both brothers worked, was also travelling with them but his Thar vehicle was 2-3 kilometers ahead of the Innova in which both cousins were traveling. The complainant further said that a local liquor contractor from Samrala area banged his Bolero vehicle into the Innova. Both cousins drowned and their bodies were fished out by the police. Police have also recovered 364 bottles of illicit liquor from the Innova.