Kamal Ghorui
NEW DELHI: Making a major dent in the terror-gangster nexus active in the city and neighbouring states, Delhi Police has concluded a 48-hour offensive with the arrest of 482 suspects linked to criminal entities in India and Pakistan.Delhi’s special commissioner (law & order) Ravindra Singh Yadav said the operation, spanning May 5-7, involved over 1,000 teams deployed across 1,014 locations in Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, effectively choking the lifelines of major criminal syndicates.Beyond arrests, the special cell and districts’ police seized a significant cache of illegal firearms and equipment: 141 pistols, 212 cartridges, 79 knives and 24 vehicles. Financial and material lifelines were further severed with the recovery of Rs 19 lakh in cash, 19kg of narcotic drugs, 1,234 liquor bottles and 31 mobile phones that likely hold the digital blueprints for future operations.According to additional CP (special cell) Pramod Kushwaha, the operation was preceded by a deep-dive identification of gang members and their logistical helpers – ranging from shooters and finance providers to SIM card and shelter providers – ensuring the raids hit the heart of these criminal ecosystems.The statistical breakdown reveals that zone-II of police saw the highest volume of activity with 537 raids, while the special cell conducted 310 targeted strikes against the most dangerous elements of these syndicates.The most chilling breakthrough perhaps involves the Shahzad Bhatti network, an alleged ISI-sponsored proxy suspected of coordinating anti-national activities. This module has been openly recruiting foot soldiers via social media to mount IP-based CCTV cameras, recce sensitive installations and coordinate the delivery of arms and narcotics.Of the nine network associates arrested, one is a resident of Rajouri in Jammu & Kashmir. Most critically, investigators revealed that members of this module were specifically tasked with executing a high-stakes conspiracy to carry out random firing at security personnel in north India and Delhi-NCR.
This group had already conducted reconnaissance of several sensitive Delhi neighbourhoods, suggesting that the operation likely intercepted a major terror strike just as it moved into its final stages.The operation also hammered conventional organised crime fronts, arresting active members from several major gangs. This included seven members of the Kapil Sangwan (alias Nandu) gang, four from the Sandeep Kala Jathedi syndicate and three from the Hashim Baba group. Other notable arrests involved members of the Tillu, Kaushal Chaudhary and Naveen Bali-Neeraj Bawana gangs.Some of these arrested individuals were also found to be part of a sophisticated arms trafficking network working directly for the Bhatti module.By taking cognisance of the organised crime-terror nexus, the special cell has added a new dimension to its enforcement strategy, moving beyond traditional policing to dismantle mission-mode initiatives sponsored by foreign entities.Kushwaha said the 48-hour offensive was a concerted effort to disrupt and dismantle the Shahzad Bhatti network as an integral part of Delhi’s security. “The arrests of individuals like Shoyab Khan and Ravi Kashyap from Uttar Pradesh, alongside associates from Punjab and Gujarat, highlight the pan-India footprint of these organised syndicates,” he added.
