Under Operation Gang Bust, 854 arrested in two days in Delhi

Ahead of Republic Day, the Delhi Police carried out a 48-hour operation codenamed ‘Operation Gang-Bust 2026’, targeting organised crime in the city and the National Capital Region (NCR), resulting in the arrest of 854 persons within two days, officers said.

The operation, conducted from 8 pm on January 9 to 8 pm on January 11, aimed to dismantle criminal networks and deter any subversive or terror elements from disrupting the January 26 celebrations, police said.

According to officers, more than 9,000 police personnel from district police units, the Crime Branch and the Special Cell were mobilised in a coordinated, all-out crackdown across Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. During the operation, police raided over 4,000 hideouts linked to organised crime syndicates and rounded up more than 6,500 suspected individuals, they added.

The operation led to the registration of 690 FIRs and arrest of 854 persons under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), Arms Act, Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, Delhi Excise Act, Gambling Act and other laws, police said.

The police apprehended members associated with gangs led by Kapil Sangwan alias Nandu (14 arrests), Jitendra Mann alias Gogi (13), Kala Jathedi–Anil Chhippi (9), Neeraj Bawana (5), Hashim Baba (5), Tillu (7), Saddam Gauri–Salman Tyagi (7), among others. According to police, members of over minor gangs accounted for 207 arrests, taking the total gang-wise arrests under the operation to 280.

According to the police, the operation also led to the recovery of 122 firearms, 189 knives, 129 rounds of ammunition, 117 mobile phones, one car, two motorcycles, two scooters and cash amounting to Rs 25.75 lakh.

Further, police also seized over 117 kg of narcotic drugs, including ganja, heroin, cocaine and charas, along with psychotropic tablets, cough syrup bottles and buprenorphine injections. Additionally, 28,364 quarters of illicit liquor were recovered, officers said.

The operation was conducted under the supervision of Special Commissioners of Police, Joint and Additional Commissioners, and Deputy Commissioners from districts, Crime Branch and Special Cell, officers said.

According to the police, the latest operation builds on sustained action against organised crime in the Capital in recent months. Between September and December last year, police arrested 183 gangsters, seized arms, cash worth over Rs 1.01 crore, and attached properties including gold, silver and vehicles.

Officers stressed that aggressive enforcement, property seizures, invocation of Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA), trial in absentia and deportation of foreign-based gang members will continue as part of Delhi Police’s strategy to curb organised crime.