Ahead of New Year, Delhi police launch Operation Aaghat 3.0, arrest over 280 accused, seize weapons, drugs, and stolen vehicles

Operation Aaghat 3.0
Operation Aaghat 3.0 leads to 285 arrests in Delhi (Image via NDTV)

As Delhi gets ready for the New Year celebrations, the city police have tightened security with a massive overnight crackdown to prevent gun violence. Under Operation Aaghat 3.0, teams of South‑East Delhi Police carried out coordinated raids and checks across sensitive areas to keep habitual offenders, gangs, and street criminals in check.

Police said a total of 285 people were arrested under various laws, including the Arms Act, Excise Act, NDPS Act, and Gambling Act. To prevent disturbances during the festive rush, another 504 suspects were detained under preventive measures. The drive also focused on old offenders; 116 known criminals were picked up, along with 10 property thieves and five vehicle lifters.

Weapons and stolen items recovered

During the raids, officers recovered a haul of 21 country‑made pistols, 20 live cartridges, and 27 knives. They also seized drugs and large stocks of illegal liquor meant to be sold during the celebrations. To top it off, 310 stolen or snatched mobile phones were found and recovered, many of them already reported missing.

In their crackdown on vehicle theft networks, police seized 231 stolen two-wheelers and one four-wheeler from different areas.

Senior police officials stated that this operation was initiated primarily for the purpose of being a deterrent and for citizens to know that they can celebrate the New Year festivities without fear, since this is a time of the year when crimes on the street tend to escalate. 

Delhi Police Joint CP Sanjay Kumar Jain said, “I am very happy to say that in the Southern Range’s South and South-East districts, Operation Aaghat was carried out to curb street crime and organised crime. Around 2,850 people were rounded up and questioned, and around 600 offenders were arrested during the operation. Our operation has been very successful.”

Written by OpIndia Staff
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