New Delhi [India], July 31 (ANI): In a major offensive against street crime and organised criminal activities, the North-West District Police arrested 44 individuals in 34 cases within a 72-hour window under ‘Operation Prahaar’. The operation led to the arrest of three Proclaimed Offenders (POs), the safe recovery of five missing persons, and the seizure of a vast array of crime property, including arms, stolen vehicles, and illicit liquor.
According to a press release issued by the Delhi Police, the crackdown targeted burglary, robbery, snatching, auto-lifting, gambling, and cyber fraud across several police stations in the district.
Among the significant breakthroughs, the Ashok Vihar police arrested a “Bad Character” (BC) burglar, Chandan alias Rahul, previously involved in 31 cases. The police achieved 100 per cent recovery of stolen gold and silver jewellery from his possession. In another case, the Subhash Place police arrested three robbers within eight hours of a crime, recovering a country-made pistol, live ammunition, robbed cash, and a stolen scooty.
The Mukherjee Nagar and Adarsh Nagar police teams apprehended two active snatchers in separate incidents. One of the accused, Rashid, was found to be involved in 10 cases of snatching across various districts and had a staggering prior record of 41 criminal cases. Additionally, AATS (Anti-Auto Theft Squad) teams successfully worked out a snatching case in Mahendra Park with full recovery of the stolen property.
The district police also dismantled an interstate auto-lifting network. In a high-stakes operation, AATS North-West arrested two individuals, including habitual offender Puru Chhaparia, who has 15 prior involvements in armed robbery. The team recovered a stolen car with fake number plates and a stolen scooty after a scuffle in which a police personnel sustained minor injuries. Another auto-lifter, Sonu alias Hakku, was arrested by Maurya Enclave police with two stolen scooties.
In the cybercrime domain, the North-West Cyber Cell arrested Roshan Sharma from Kolkata after a 1,600 km chase across four states. Sharma allegedly posed as a wealthy businessman on matrimonial sites to cheat and extort women. Police recovered devices containing private videos of several victims. In a separate cyber case, a domestic helper, Shiv Narayan, was arrested for fraudulently creating a UPI ID using his elderly employer’s banking details and transferring Rs 4.01 lakhs. He was traced to Rishikesh after fleeing through multiple states.
The 72-hour crackdown also saw a major offensive against illicit trades. Sixteen persons were arrested for smuggling illicit liquor, with a total of 784 quarter bottles seized. Furthermore, 10 individuals were apprehended for illegal gambling during raids at the TPC Centre in Azadpur and Pitampura, with over Rs 21,000 in cash and gambling materials recovered.
The police also focused on social policing, successfully tracing four missing minors and one person with an intellectual disability from Jahangir Puri, Adarsh Nagar, and Mukherjee Nagar. All five individuals were safely reunited with their families.
Total recoveries from the three-day drive include multiple country-made pistols, live cartridges, knives, 100 per cent of stolen jewellery in specific cases, over 10 snatched mobile phones, stolen SUVs and two-wheelers, and over 800 bottles of illicit liquor. (ANI)
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