Dehradun, July 20 -- Ahead of the upcoming three-tier panchayat elections, the Uttarakhand Special Task Force of Uttarakhand Police recovered 233 cartons of illegal liquor and arrested three people, officers aware of the matter said on Saturday. The accused were identified as Rohtas, a resident of Bhiwani in Haryana, Anand, a resident of Karnal in Haryana, and Vijaypal, a resident of Sahaspur in Dehradun. The liquor was being smuggled into Uttarakhand from Chandigarh and Haryana, to influence the election process in the border districts, they said. According to police, Rohtas and Anand were arrested in the Vikasnagar police station area while transporting 202 cartons of liquor in their vehicle. Subsequently, Vijaypal was arrested from his residence in Sahaspur, where 31 cartons of English liquor were recovered. SSP (STF) Navneet Singh Bhullar said, "Following directions from DGP Deepam Seth to ensure peaceful, free, and fair elections. We have been closely monitoring criminal activities and taking preventive action against any attempts to disrupt the elections." htc...