The Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF) has successfully arrested Vikas Soran, an accused in an interstate liquor smuggling racket, who had a cash reward of ₹50,000 for his capture. Soran, a resident of Kothkala village in Hisar district, Haryana, was apprehended on Saturday evening in Jind district, Haryana. He had been evading arrest since 2023 after a case was registered against him in Azamgarh district, Uttar Pradesh, following the seizure of an illegal liquor consignment. STF officials reported that Soran is part of a smuggling syndicate allegedly led by Sunil Kumar, which has been operating for several years, transporting illicit liquor from Chandigarh and Haryana to various districts in Uttar Pradesh, and further distributing it across Bihar and Jharkhand. The gang used pick-up vehicles to transport the liquor, concealing it under household goods and employing forged transport documents to avoid detection. Following an earlier interception of a liquor consignment, authorities invoked the Gangsters Act against Soran and his associates on August 22, 2023. After his arrest, he was presented in court in Jind, where transit remand proceedings are ongoing, and he will be brought to Uttar Pradesh for further legal action. The STF is expanding its investigation into the syndicate's operations, with additional arrests anticipated.