New Delhi, May 3 (IANS) In a major crackdown on criminals, the Dwarka District Police on Wednesday conducted raids at multiple locations in Delhi and Haryana and arrested six people while detained 20 persons in search of associates of gangster Kapil Sangwan alias Nandu, an official said.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Dwarka) M Harhsa Vardhan said that 21 teams comprising 300 police personnel conducted simultaneous searches at 15 locations in Delhi and six in Haryana.
"We have detained 20 people and arrested six for various offences under the Arms Act and the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS) based on the recovery during the raids and searches," said the DCP.
The arrested accused were identified as Nitin Narulla, Nikhil, Rajpal alias Raju Gahlot, Deepak - all residents of Delhi - Mohit and Jitender Dahiya, both residents of Haryana. Deepak, Nikhil and Nitin were found involved in other criminal cases as well.
Police have also seized a bullet proof Fortuner car, three pistols with seven bullets, Rs 20 lakh cash, 22.4 grams heroin and 73 grams amphetamine from various locations.
As per police, the action comes after six people, including two juveniles, were apprehended in connection with the killing of Surender Matiala, Delhi BJP Kisan Morcha leader in Dwarka's Bindapur. One of the two shooters, arrested from Chandigarh, was associated with the Kapil Sangwan gang.
It is suspected that Sangwan, who has been declared a proclaimed offender and is currently hiding abroad, to increase his presence in the area and revive his dwindling group had killed Matiala through his gang members.
The official said that the raids targeted Kapil Sangwan's gang and his associates and in Haryana, police raided the hideouts of the gangster and his associates in Jhajjar, Sonipat, Bahadurgarh and Mahendragarh.
Lt Gen Aujla, an alumnus of the Indian Military Academy, Dehradun, was commissioned in December 1987 and has had an illustrious military career spanning 35 years during which he has held varied prestigious command, staff and instructional appointments.
The area around the Intelligence Bureau office has been sealed and investigation is in progress. A bomb disposal and forensic squads have been positioned at the spot. Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann spoke to Director General of Police V.K. Bhawra and sought details about the incident.
Notably, the police detained several people, including party workers, who were not allowing the SDMC to carry out the demolition drive at Shaheen Bagh. After the agitation was quelled, the bulldozer moved forward to demolish the illegal encroachment, an iron structure in front of a building. It is at this juncture that Khan reached the spot and was seen speaking to the officials.
Punjab shares a 553-km barbed-wire fenced international border with Pakistan which is under the vigil of nearly 135 BSF battalions. The drug network operates along the Afghanistan-Pakistan-India route.
Police are looking at this angle. The incident took place near Kengeri at 1 a.m. and the injured were shifted to nearby hospitals. According to the police, the bus had first hit the 4-feet tall road divider and then rammed into the Namma Metro Pillar number 545.
Chairing a meeting of the Special Task Force (STF) team led by its chief Harpreet Sidhu here, Mann said neither political persons nor officers would be spared if found conniving with the drug mafia. He told the police officers to work freely without any political pressure with a sharpened focus to make Punjab a drug-free state.
