Nagpur: Operation Crackdown, the maiden anti-crime initiative after commissioner BK Upadhyay took over the reins, has led to the checking of 700 criminals in a span of 72 hours, with an average of 10 verifications every hour. Out of these, 500 goons were checked by cops from five zones while the rest by crime branch, which is also the nodal agency of the programme.
The mission against goons was initiated to revive a drive against anti-social elements, to put a spanner in their activities. Launched on August 27, the mission will end on September 10. Apart from checking the whereabouts of criminals, cops will also invoke preventive actions and register fresh offences, if required, it’s learnt.
DCP, crime (detection), Sambhaji Kadam said the emphasis would be on checking externees, arms dealers, body offenders, and those involved in property crimes. “The main aim of the mission is to instill fear of law among offenders. Many get emboldened after getting away lightly following the first offence, but we will not allow it to happen now,” he said.
Two main purposes of the mission is to put a check on illegal arms dealers followed by flushing out of illegal activities. “The criminals should feel the heat of relentless police surveillance,” said Kadam.
Kadam said police stations would send details of their efforts to implement the plan in a specific format already provided to them. “The CP would review the overall performance of the zones and crime branch, but his aim is to ensure crime is curtailed in entirety, and not just for a particular time or location in the city,” he said. “It would be a continuous intensive drive in every corner of the commissionerate,” said Kadam.
