New Delhi: Delhi Police carried out the 14th edition of Operation Kavach during which 255 drug traffickers were arrested and 212 FIRs registered. The operation, monitored by police commissioner Satish Golchha, saw 1,474 police teams conduct raids at 4,035 locations across the city over a 48-hour period, between June 22 and 24.During the raids, 329 people were also arrested in 315 cases under Arms Act. More than 900 teams from local police were part of the crackdown, operating under Special CPs Neeraj Thakur and Devesh Srivastva.Police took 2,344 people into preventive custody as a precautionary measure to deter them from committing offences, while 60,806 people were detained under Delhi Police Act.. They prosecuted 8,768 violators under Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act. The drive further resulted in the arrest of 55 auto-lifters and 49 proclaimed offenders. Police also filed cases for drinking in public places against 4,498 people while 4,708 vehicles were seized under Section 66 of Delhi Police Act.Police seized a substantial quantity of narcotics, including 1kg of heroin, 237kg of ganja, 159 grams of cocaine, 101 grams of MDMA, 186 grams of methamphetamine, 2,640 buprenorphine tablets, and 287 pheniramine maleate injections, along with cash worth Rs 23 lakh. Six pistols, 90 countrymade firearms, 147 live cartridges and 242 knives were also seized.“During the operation, 5,977 bad characters were verified, while 208 crime hotspots were specifically targeted. Police also checked 1,429 parks, public places and toilets as part of cordon-and-search operations, taking action against 397 narco-offenders. Further, 161 foreigners were verified and deportation proceedings were initiated against 21 of them,” said special CP (crime) HGS Dhaliwal.Op Kavach is a flagship operation of Delhi Police, conducted at frequent intervals. Data released by police shows 1,418 narco-offenders across 1,812 cases were registered under NDPS Act between Jan and May this year. The drives during this five-month period yielded a massive haul, including 23 kgs of heroin and smack, 1,653kg ganja, 11kg opium, 25kg charas, 70kg poppy head, 56kg alprazolam powder, 52kg doda post, and 12 litres codeine syrup.“Ground-level intelligence indicates that the consistent onslaught of surprise raids has unsettled the majority of street peddlers and bootleggers, causing major drug traffickers to go underground to avoid capture,” Dhaliwal said.Recognising the high risks of moving massive shipments directly into the capital, major players are now avoiding bringing commercial quantities directly into Delhi. Instead, syndicates have adapted by establishing temporary storage facilities and supply hubs outside the city limits, strategically locating them in adjacent areas such as Noida.The mode of transportation has also undergone a significant transformation. Whereas ganja was previously smuggled into Delhi predominantly in large quantities via heavy trucks, traffickers are shifting to a decentralised approach. Contraband is increasingly being broken down and transported in smaller, less conspicuous quantities using private cars, light motor vehicles and trains to evade highway checkpoints and specialised police scrutiny.Among the latest major breakthroughs, a raid at the Civil Lines residence of Nipun Lakra on June 24 yielded around 2kg hydroponic weed, 2.5gram charas and 19.3 gram MDMA tablets.
