R-Day vigilance stepped up as Delhi Police carry out citywide Op Kavach

NEW DELHI: India’s capital has been placed on a heightened security alert following the circulation of a viral poster allegedly linked to the Pakistan-based terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba, featuring photographs of known terrorists. The development has raised fresh security concerns, particularly in light of references to the November Red Fort blast.

The alert comes ahead of Republic Day celebrations, prompting law enforcement agencies to step up vigilance and strengthen preventive measures across the national capital.

Against this backdrop, Delhi Police launched a massive, coordinated security and enforcement exercise under ‘Operation Kavach 12.0’, aimed at cracking down on narcotics trafficking, organised crime, illegal arms and other unlawful activities.

The 24-hour operation, conducted from the evening of January 23 to January 24, involved simultaneous raids at 2,348 locations across all 15 police districts of Delhi. The drive saw the participation of district police units, the Crime Branch and the Special Cell.

As part of the operation, police arrested 59 narco-offenders in 55 cases registered under the NDPS Act, seizing 31.21 grams of heroin and 30.75 kilograms of ganja.

A major crackdown was also carried out against illicit liquor networks. A total of 231 cases were registered under the Delhi Excise Act, leading to the arrest of 238 people and the seizure of over 50,000 quarters of illegal liquor, along with beer bottles and cartons. In addition, 1,682 individuals were arrested for consuming alcohol at public places.

Action against illegal arms resulted in 117 arrests in 115 cases under the Arms Act, with the recovery of pistols, country-made firearms, live cartridges, knives and mobile phones.

Gambling operations were also targeted, leading to 261 arrests and the seizure of more than Rs 3.5 lakh in cash. Police apprehended 21 auto-lifters and recovered 33 stolen vehicles, while 31 proclaimed offenders were also arrested during the drive.

Preventive action formed a key component of Operation Kavach 12.0. More than 4,000 individuals were taken into preventive custody, and over 25,000 people were detained under the Delhi Police Act to avert potential offences.

Thousands of known bad characters were verified, and over 4,700 violators were prosecuted under tobacco control laws.

Senior police officials said the operation reflects a zero-tolerance approach towards crime and narcotics, particularly during sensitive national events.

Authorities added that the intensified enforcement has disrupted illegal supply chains, forced major traffickers to go underground and significantly strengthened ground-level security in the run-up to Republic Day.