Delhi Police arrests 482 suspects in 48-hour massive crackdown targeting Indian and Pakistani crime syndicates

New Delhi: Making a major dent in the terror-gangster nexus operating in the city and neighboring states, Delhi Police has concluded a 48-hour operation with the arrest of 482 suspects linked to criminal outfits in India and Pakistan.Delhi Special Commissioner (Law and Order) Ravindra Singh Yadav said the operation, which ran from May 5-7, involved over 1,000 teams deployed at 1,014 locations in Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, effectively shutting down the lifelines of major criminal syndicates.Apart from the arrests, the Special Cell and the districts police seized a large cache of illegal firearms and equipment: 141 pistols, 212 cartridges, 79 knives and 24 vehicles. Financial and physical lifelines were further broken with the recovery of Rs 19 lakh in cash, 19 kg of narcotic drugs, 1,234 liquor bottles and 31 mobile phones, which are likely to contain digital blueprints for future operations.According to Additional CP (Special Cell) Pramod Kushwaha, the operation was preceded by in-depth identification of the gang members and their associated facilitators – from shooters and finance providers to SIM card and shelter providers – ensuring that the raids strike at the heart of these criminal ecosystems.Statistical analysis shows that Zone-II of the police saw the highest activity with 537 raids, while the Special Cell conducted 310 targeted strikes against the most dangerous elements of these syndicates.Perhaps the most shocking breakthrough involves the Shehzad Bhatti network, an alleged ISI-sponsored proxy suspected of coordinating anti-national activities. This module is openly recruiting foot soldiers through social media to install IP-based CCTV cameras, monitor sensitive installations and coordinate the delivery of weapons and narcotics.One of the nine network associates arrested is a resident of Rajouri in Jammu and Kashmir. Most seriously, investigators revealed that members of this module were tasked to execute a high-risk conspiracy to carry out random firing on security personnel, especially in North India and Delhi-NCR.

The group had already conducted reconnaissance in several sensitive areas of Delhi, indicating that it could prevent a major terror attack as the operation reached its final stages.The operation also hit traditional organized crime fronts and arrested active members of several major gangs. This included seven members of Kapil Sangwan (alias Nandu) gang, four members of Sandeep Kala Jathedi syndicate and three members of Hashim Baba group. Other notable arrests included Tillu, Kaushal Chaudhary and members of the Naveen Bali-Neeraj Bawana gang.Some of these arrested individuals were also found to be part of a sophisticated arms smuggling network working directly for the Bhatti module.Taking cognizance of the organized crime-terrorist nexus, the Special Cell has added a new dimension to its enforcement strategy, going beyond traditional policing and eliminating mission-mode initiatives sponsored by foreign entities.Kushwaha said the 48-hour offensive was a concerted effort to disrupt and destroy the Shehzad Bhatti network, an integral part of Delhi’s security. “The arrest of individuals like Shoyab Khan and Ravi Kashyap from Uttar Pradesh, as well as associates from Punjab and Gujarat, exposes the pan-India footprint of these organized syndicates,” he said.