Delhi: 366 held in Operation Kavach for narcotic, illicit liquor sales

In the drive, which started at 5pm on Tuesday, police recovered 870 grams of heroin, 245kg of marijuana, 16 grams of cocaine, 434 grams of MDMA, six countrymade pistols, nine cartridges, eight knives, thousands of litres of illicit liquor and 17 two-wheelers

In a 24-hour-long crackdown at 907 locations across the city, Delhi Police arrested 366 people involved in the sale and supply of narcotics, illicit liquor and illegal firearms under the sixth iteration of “Operation Kavach”, senior police officers said on Thursday.

The drive was held from 5pm on Tuesday to 5pm on Wednesday. (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

In the drive, which started at 5pm on Tuesday, police recovered 870 grams of heroin, 245kg of marijuana, 16 grams of cocaine, 434 grams of MDMA, six countrymade pistols, nine cartridges, eight knives, thousands of litres of illicit liquor and 17 two-wheelers.

In all, 1,240 people were taken into preventive custody and 44 were prosecuted for smoking and selling tobacco products within 100 metres of educational institutions, special commissioner of police (crime branch) Devesh Chandra Shrivastava.

Operation Kavach was launched in May 2023 as part of the central government’s “zero tolerance” policy towards narcotics, involving joint and sweeping operations to identify and nab people involved in the trafficking, distribution and sale of narcotic substances in the city.

“The frequent surprise crackdowns under the Operation Kavach have unsettled drug peddlers and bootleggers, causing terror in their minds and resulting in significant drop in supply of drugs. Several big drug traffickers have become underground because of the strict police action. Besides, now, major players are avoiding bringing commercial quantities to Delhi,” Shrivastava said.

According to police data, 1,268 drug peddlers were arrested in 886 narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances (NDPS) Act cases till October. Over 71kg of heroin, 1,293kg of cocaine, 3,241kg of marijuana, 103kg of opium, 50kg of cannabis, and 80kg of poppy heads were seized till October, police said.