Police arrest 854 in 48-hour Gang-Bust 2026 operation

The Delhi Police arrested 854 people and registered 690 FIRs during a 48-hour multi-state operation codenamed ‘Gang-Bust 2026’, conducted in the run-up to Republic Day celebrations. The operation targeted major and minor crime syndicates with footprints in Delhi and the National Capital Region.

The massive crackdown, carried out from 8 pm on January 9 to 8 pm on January 11, involved raids at more than 4,000 suspected hideouts across Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.

Over 6,500 suspects were rounded up during the exercise, which saw the deployment of more than 9,000 police personnel from district units, the Crime Branch and the Special Cell.

The police described the mission as one of the largest coordinated offensives against organised crime. “The objective was clear: to dismantle organised crime networks and ensure that no criminal or subversive element dares to disrupt peace and security ahead of Republic Day,” Additional Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) Pramod Singh Kushwah said. He added that the operation was designed to deliver a “strong deterrent message” to gangs operating across state borders.

According to police, the operation focused on shooters, active gang members, proclaimed offenders and their facilitators. A significant number of arrests were linked to well-known gangs, including those led by Kapil Sangwan, alias Nandu; Jitendra Mann, alias Gogi; Kala Jathedi; Neeraj Bawana; Tillu; Hashim Baba; and the Goldy Brar-Rohit Godara syndicate. In total, 280 arrests were made from major and minor gangs, including 207 linked to smaller criminal outfits.

The raids led to large-scale recoveries of illegal arms, ammunition, narcotics, illicit liquor, cash and vehicles. Police seized 122 firearms, 189 knives and 129 rounds of ammunition. Cash worth Rs 25.75 lakh was also recovered, along with 117 mobile phones, two motorcycles, two scooters and a car.

Under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, police registered 36 cases and arrested 43 people. Seizures included over 114 kg of ganja, cocaine, heroin, charas, cough syrup bottles and a large quantity of psychotropic tablets and injections. Under the Delhi Excise Act, 145 cases were registered, leading to the recovery of 28,364 quarters of illicit liquor.

Gambling networks were also hit hard. Police registered 137 cases under the Public Gambling Act and arrested 285 people, seizing more than Rs 5.53 lakh in cash. Senior officers said the operation was closely supervised by special commissioners, joint commissioners and deputy commissioners across zones, the Crime Branch and the Special Cell, ensuring simultaneous action and tight coordination.

Police officials said the crackdown was part of a sustained strategy against organised crime.