NEW DELHI: In a large-scale “preventive” crackdown ahead of New Year celebrations, the Delhi Police have apprehended as many as 966 people and seized arms, drugs, illegal liquor and vehicles in southeast Delhi, officials said on Saturday. The crackdown was part of Operation Aaghat 3.0, launched to curb organised crime, street offences and the activities of habitual criminals in view of heightened public movement during year-end festivities, they said. Of the total, 331 accused were arrested under the Delhi Excise Act, NDPS Act and the Public Gambling Act, while 504 people were apprehended under various preventive provisions, the police said. As part of targeted action, police apprehended 116 listed “bad characters”, arrested five “auto-lifters” and four “proclaimed offenders”, officials added. During the operation, police recovered 21 countrymade pistols, 20 live cartridges and 27 knives under the Arms Act. They also seized 12,258 quarters of illicit liquor, 6.01 kg of ganja and Rs 2.36 lakh from gamblers. A total of 310 mobile phones, six two-wheelers and one four-wheeler were also recovered, the police said.
In addition, action was taken against 1,306 persons under the Delhi Police Act, while 231 two-wheelers were seized for violations, the officials said. More than 600 police personnel were deployed across the district under the operation. The officials said that the operation was aimed at “preventing any untoward incident during New Year celebrations, particularly in residential areas and jhuggi clusters, and to deter organised crime networks and habitual offenders”. Stringent legal provisions, including sections 111 and 112 of the BNS, would be invoked in suitable cases, and proposals for externment of repeat offenders were also being initiated, they added. The officials also said 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”.