325 spots raided, 944 detained: How ‘surprise factor’ helped Delhi Police rein in drug peddlers

NEW DELHI: In a massive crackdown on drug traffickers that lasted for 12 hours – from 4pm on Saturday to 4am on Sunday – Delhi Police officers raided 325 locations across the city and took 944 people into custody.

Among those apprehended were 74 narco-offenders, who were found in possession of various types of contraband. They were booked under the NDPS Act. Fifty-four bootleggers were arrested under the Excise Act.

However, the most remarkable aspect of the raid was that 816 peddlers were held under preventive arrest. These individuals included bootleggers and criminals actively involved in the drug trade but who could not be booked under NDPS Act due to lack of any recovery during the raids.

This operation was part of the fifth instalment of Operation Kavach, a concerted crackdown on narcotics trafficking in the city. The initiative is a component of the govt's zero-tolerance policy against drugs, spearheaded by PM Modi and home minister Amit Shah.

Operation Kavach was launched in May 2023 with the objective of tackling the drug menace on all fronts by targeting both street-level dealers and high-level traffickers. Delhi Police had previously conducted four other operations under Kavach, one of which focused on the sale of drugs and tobacco-related products in close proximity to schools and colleges.

How ‘surprise factor’ helped police rein in drug peddlers

The operation was carried out with caution and precision with officials in 15 districts receiving a call from crime branch officers, informing them about an imminent drug-related raid within their jurisdiction. Within minutes, wireless sets crackled to life, locations were given out and teams were dispatched. By 4pm, law-enforcement officers were meticulously scouring every nook and cranny of Delhi.

“Since the beginning of the year, Delhi Police has apprehended 961 narco-offenders in 695 NDPS cases, seizing about 65kg of heroin, 1.9kg of cocaine and 2,258kg of ganja, among other substances,” said special commissioner R P Upadhyay.

The latest operation, spearheaded by additional CP Sanjay Bhatia, ACP Anil Sharma and others, resulted in the recovery of 108.93grams of heroin, 66.28kg of ganja, 1,100 grams of charas and 16grams of MDMA. “Following the raids, we registered 66 cases under NDPS Act. Additionally, 54 cases were registered under Delhi Excise Act with 54 accused persons arrested and a substantial quantity of illicit liquor seized,” said Bhatia.

Among the key individuals arrested in this drive was a distributor named Ajay Babu, who was apprehended near Laxmi Nagar Metro station.

The second was a peddler named Ravi, who had previously been declared an absconder in a drugs case by the court. Three traffickers named Anil, Mukesh and Baijnath, belonging to a single module, were also among those arrested. A total of 36kg of drugs was found at their rented accommodation in the Samaypur Badli area.

Officials said the “surprise factor” in the operation left the peddlers and drug distributors unsettled and instilled a sense of terror among them, resulting in a significant reduction in drug sales.

“We had been gathering intelligence to execute this operation following the last one, which took place in Nov of the previous year. At that time, we had simultaneously raided 100 locations. Prior to that, three operations had been conducted in May, June and Aug last year,” said a senior officer.

The raid in Aug had led to the arrest of 30 drug traffickers and recovery of drugs like MDMA crystals and pills, organic ganja, cannabis oil and hashish.