Early Times Report NEW DELHI, Aug 10: The Delhi Police has apprehended 52 people in a major crackdown under Operation Shastra ahead of Independence Day, registering 41 cases and recovering 15 illegal firearms, 26 live cartridges and nine knives, in addition to narcotics and illicit liquor, an official said on Monday. Police said the operation was launched to target criminals involved in street crime, illegal arms business and other unlawful activities and to strengthen preventive security ahead of August 15. The arms crackdown covered several police station areas, including Aman Vihar, Prem Nagar, Begumpur, Kanjhawala, Prashant Vihar, Budh Vihar, K N Katju Marg, South Rohini, Vijay Vihar and North Rohini. "Police recovered country-made pistols and cartridges from several accused, while knives were seized in several cases. In one case, a stolen scooter and a mobile phone were also recovered," a senior police officer said. Police said they also seized a large quantity of illicit liquor and registered cases under the Excise Act, Gambling Act and NDPS Act. Further investigation and preventive action are underway. Police identified one of the accused from whom the firearms were recovered as Rahul Sehrawat, an active member of the Neeraj Bawaniya and Naveen Bali gangs. Several other accused apprehended during the drive also had criminal antecedents, including history-sheeters, bad characters and a proclaimed offender. The KN Katju Marg unit apprehended Vipin, also known as Lala or Pankaj. He allegedly has 26 previous cases, including four under the Arms Act, nine involving snatching, one robbery, 11 theft cases and one under the Excise Act, police said. Police said he is a bad character and a proclaimed offender in a Shahbad Dairy case. Another accused, Manish Saini alias Lallu, allegedly has 10 cases, including three under the Arms Act, four robbery cases and three theft cases. |