Police arrest 350 in 24-hour operation against organised crime ahead of New Year

In a major crackdown on illegal weapons, drugs and liquor, the Delhi police arrested 350 people and apprehended over 966 others in a 24-hour preventive drive under ‘Operation Aaghaat 3.0’, an officer said on Saturday.

The drive, aimed at curbing organised crime and the activities of habitual criminals ahead of the New Year celebrations, involved over 600 personnel deployed in various districts, said a senior officer.

Teams from the South and South East districts started the operation on the night of December 25, said Joint Commissioner of Police (South Range) Sanjay Kumar Jain.

“The high number of accused taken into custody should be attributed to the efforts of two weeks of intelligence collection and consistent efforts to monitor delinquent activities,” said Mr. Jain. Of those arrested, 331 arrests were booked under the Delhi Excise Act, the NDPS Act, and the Public Gambling Act, the police said, adding that ten known offenders, five autorickshaw lifters, and four proclaimed offenders were among the others taken into custody.

Proclaimed offenders

“The major focus of the drive was against organised crime, where we targeted drug peddlers, bootleggers, gamblers and habitual offenders,” the JCP told The Hindu.

“Over 58 illegal arms, 12,257 quarters of illicit liquor, 6 kg of narcotic drugs and over ₹2 lakh in cash from gamblers were seized. We also seized 310 mobile phones, six two-wheelers and one four-wheeler in the operation,” he said. In addition, 231 two-wheelers were seized for violations. Officers said stringent legal provisions would be invoked against the offenders and proposals for externment of repeat offenders were also being initiated.

Intensified patrolling

The police added that intensified patrolling, vehicle checking and night surveillance had led to a reduction in PCR calls related to street crime in the district over the past month.

(With inputs from PTI)