‘Over 4,300 criminals caught in southern range, major drop in violent crime cases’

New Delhi: More than 4,000 alleged criminals were arrested with several contraband items and firearms in their possessionby the Southern Range of the Delhi Police in a six-month-long crackdown against organised crime, an officer said on Thursday.

“The campaign, titled Crackdown-2025, was initiated in January this year across the South and Southeast districts of the capital,” Joint Commissioner of Police (Southern Range) SK Jain said in a statement.

The officer said that between January 1 and June 30, 4,300 criminals, including robbers, snatchers, drug traffickers, arms dealers, and bootleggers, were nabbed in the southern range.

The arrests came with the seizure of 609 stolen mobile phones, 23 pistols, 149 country-made firearms and

241 live cartridges.

Also seized were 262 kg of cannabis, 6.5 kg charas, 1.3 kg smack, and other synthetic drugs, cash exceeding Rs 1 crore, gold, diamonds, and household items, more than 350 stolen cars, two-wheelers and auto-rickshaws,

the Joint CP said.

Police said that under Operation Garuda, 421 foreign nationals, comprising 336 Bangladeshi and 85 African-origin people, were deported.

Those who arranged forged documents and shelter for these people were also

identified and arrested.

“Under Operation Vajra, the range police cracked down against street-level crimes such as robbery and chain snatching. A total of 430 accused were arrested in robbery and snatching cases. The recoveries included 155 stolen phones, gold jewellery and 36 vehicles used in committing crimes,” the officer said.

A total of 455 people were arrested and 385 booked under the Arms Act in the period.

At least 172 illegal firearms (pistols, country-made weapons), 241 cartridges, and 250 knives, many linked with robberies, murder conspiracies, and extortion rackets, were seized. During the six months of the operation, 170 drug traffickers were arrested in 129 cases registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985.

The synthetic drugs seized from the alleged criminals’ possession included 490 gm of methaqualone, as well as MDMA, cocaine, and synthetic tablets. “Police also intensified action under the Delhi Excise Act against those dealing in illicit liquor. A total of 941 bootleggers were arrested and over 2.13 lakh illicit liquor quarters, 2,107 beer bottles and Rs 4.2 lakh cash were seized,” the Joint CP said.

Police claimed that during the period, they solved a double murder case in Lajpat Nagar within 10 hours, a jewellery showroom burglary in the same area, with recovery of 90 diamond articles and gold, and murder cases in Mehrauli, Maidangarhi, and Saket.

The officer said that compared to the first half of 2024, many crimes saw a dip.

Attempt to murder cases dropped by 45 per cent, robbery by 28 per cent, snatching by 26 per cent, burglary and house thefts by 23 per cent, general thefts by 11 per cent and motor vehicle thefts by 133 cases, he said.