16 suspects arrested in Police op against gangs

NEW DELHI: In a major crackdown on gangs operating in the national capital, the Delhi Police’s Special Cell arrested 16 suspected criminals in separate operations in the past two weeks, an official said on Saturday.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) Amit Kaushik said they began a drive following a surge in organised gang activity in the city, leading to 16 criminals, including a woman, belonging to different gangs being arrested.

Ten pistols and 56 live rounds were seized from the arrested accused, who include members of gangs being run from abroad, he said.

During the drive, the suspected criminals were monitored through technical means to identify their means of communication, Kaushik said.

It was found during the surveillance exercise that the gang leaders, who are settled abroad or incarcerated in different jails, recruited

juveniles and youngsters without prior criminal records or involved in minor cases to avoid detection, the senior officer said.

Social media and popular songs glamorising the gangster life are used to attract these youngsters to join the gangs, he said.

The gangsters lure these youngsters for shooting at and even killing people and later dump them and move on to others, he added.