Op Aaghat 3.0: Delhi Police crackdown on crime
As Delhi gears up for New Year celebrations, the Delhi Police have launched an expanded overnight crackdown across the national Capital, apprehending 2,850 people and seizing arms, drugs, illegal liquor, and vehicles in a bid to pre-empt crime in southeast Delhi ahead of the New Year celebrations.
Of the total, 604 accused were arrested under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), Delhi Excise Act, NDPS Act and the Public Gambling Act, while 787 people were apprehended under various preventive provisions according to the police.
As part of targeted action, police apprehended 155 listed bad characters, arrested eight auto-lifters and four proclaimed offenders. Police also arrested 13 property offenders and five snatchers during the operation.
Dozens of weapons, lakhs in cash, illicit liquor, drugs, and other stolen items were also seized in a preemptive action under Operation Aaghat 3.0.
The crackdown aimed at preventing crimes during the festive period. Police seized 11 stolen vehicles and impounded 350 abandoned ones under the Delhi Police Act.
According to police, 24 pistols/revolvers, 30 live cartridges, 44 knives, and over 22,500 liquor quarters were seized during the operation. Police also recovered 8.2 kg of ganja, `2.43 lakh from gambling dens, and 470 stolen or lost mobile phones during the operation. A total of 310 mobile phones, 231 two-wheelers and one four-wheeler were also recovered, the police said.
Southern Range Joint Commissioner of Police SK Jain said that the operation was aimed at taking firm legal action against bootleggers, habitual offenders and drug peddlers. He said the strongest results had come from sustained action against repeat offenders. “These outcomes clearly demonstrate a direct disruption of criminal logistics, funding channels, and operational capability of organised and habitual offenders,” he said.
The large-scale operation, conducted under the supervision of Special CP (L&O) Zone-II Madhup Tewari and Joint CP (Southern Range) SK Jain, saw the deployment of more than 1,200 personnel across districts. The initiative aimed at targeting habitual offenders, bootleggers, property offenders, and drug peddlers to ensure public safety during the festive season.
The police said 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.
Officials said 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. 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.
Operation Aaghat 3.0 follows earlier enforcement drives carried out in September and October, which saw hundreds apprehended and firearms and narcotics seized. Police said the current phase builds on those efforts with wider coordination and a sharper focus on habitual offenders. The Delhi Police said such intelligence-based, coordinated operations would continue in the coming days to maintain law and order and ensure heightened security across the Capital during the New Year period.
