Delhi Police Nets Nearly 1,000 in Major Pre-New Year Crackdown in Southeast District
In a sweeping preventive operation ahead of New Year festivities, the Delhi Police’s southeast district unit has detained 966 individuals and confiscated weapons, narcotics, illicit alcohol, and vehicles, officials announced on December 27, 2025.
Dubbed Operation Aaghat 3.0, the initiative targeted organized crime, street-level offenses, and the operations of repeat offenders amid increased public activity during the year-end celebrations, according to police statements.
Among those apprehended, 331 faced arrests under the Delhi Excise Act, the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, and the Public Gambling Act. Another 504 were held under various preventive sections of the law.
The operation also focused on high-risk individuals, leading to the detention of 116 known bad characters, the arrest of five auto thieves, and four proclaimed offenders.
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Seizures included 21 country-made pistols, 20 live cartridges, and 27 knives prosecuted under the Arms Act. Authorities further recovered 12,258 quarters of illegal liquor, 6.01 kg of ganja, and ₹2.36 lakh in cash from gambling activities. Additionally, 310 mobile phones, six two-wheelers, and one four-wheeler were impounded.
More than 600 personnel were deployed for the drive, which also resulted in action against 1,306 people under the Delhi Police Act and the seizure of 231 two-wheelers for traffic violations.
The primary goal was to avert potential incidents during the celebrations, especially in residential zones and slum clusters, while disrupting networks of organized crime and habitual criminals.
Police officials noted that stringent measures, such as Sections 111 and 112 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), would be applied where appropriate, with proposals underway to extern repeat offenders from the area.
Enhanced patrolling, vehicle checks, and overnight monitoring have contributed to fewer reports of street crimes in the district in recent weeks, the police added.