NEW DELHI: Fifteen more lookout circulars have been issued against farmer leaders who allegedly orchestrated the violence during the tractor rally on Republic Day. With 44 LOCs issued earlier, the total number has reached 59 to prevent those named from leaving the country. All airports and seaports have been alerted to identify and detain them at immigration.
Using facial recognition software, Delhi Police has identified around a dozen people, including the three men who unfurled the Sikh religious flag at Red Fort, sources said. However, they are absconding and raids are on in Punjab to arrest them.
The inspection of Red Fort led to the recovery of a special rope used by commandos to climb buildings, etc, indicating that the protesters were well-prepared, claimed an officer. More than 50 notices have been issued to farmer leaders and others asking them to join the investigation. Ignoring the notices was a ground for arrest, added the officer.
Crime Branch officers said videos of the wrong route taken by the mob were being collected. Till now, police have received and retrieved around 2,000 WhatsApp chats pertaining to the violence. Around 3,000 calls and 300 emails exchanged among the suspects are being scanned too.
Earlier, Delhi Police had appealed to the public to provide them videos and images of the violence that they may have recorded or clicked. So far, around 5,000 mobile videos and pictures have been received, a Crime Branch officer confirmed.
A team is also examining the ownership of tractors by getting it checked by transport authorities. “The registration numbers of the tractors have been sent to track the addresses of the owners. Notices are being sent to them too,” said an officer.
Many owners have been identified, but the exercise will take time as thousands of tractors had stormed the city. An officer claimed that many had hidden the numbers, some had removed registration plate, while some had used wrong numberplates. Facial recognition would be used to identify the drivers and they would be questioned about the alleged tampering.
On Sunday, a team from National Forensic Science University, Gandhinagar inspected the violence spots, including Red Fort, ITO, Ghazipur and Nangloi. They are also studying and verifying the authenticity of the violence-related videos. Cyber Cell and Special Cell are also probing the incident and collecting CCTV footage from the routes taken by the protesters.