Ashok Rana, a resident of Rana Sheri in the notorious Golwad area of the city, Rajesh alias Ballu alias Balwant Kantilal Rana of Sanghadiawaad, and Anil Kheta Gujaria from Singanpore Char Rasta were arrested by the Prevention of Crime Branch (PCB) on a recommendation by the Detection of Crime Branch, a PCB release issued on Wednesday said.

The release added that all three were habitual offenders and had prohibition cases pending against their names. The three brought IMFL into the city in cars and vans and had been caught with liquor earlier. While Ashok Rana has been sent to the Jamnagar district jail, Balwant Rana and Gujaria have been despatched to the Bhavnagar and Junagadh jails respectively to serve sentences.

Late in the evening, the PCB also announced the arrest of a woman who ran a `haathbhatti' (a country liquor distillery) in Khajod village on the outskirts of the city. Ramna Dhansukh Nagar was arrested from her house in Khajod village and booked under provisions of PASA. Arrangements are being made to despatch her to the Vadodara Central Jail.

Ramna, the PCB said, was running a country liquor distillery in Khajod for the past many years and had been booked under sections of the Prohibition Act in the past. It may be noted that the city police has been freely using the PASA against bootlegging for the past six months, arresting more people under the Act in six months than the total arrested for all offences under PASA in 1998.