New Delhi, July 2 (IANS) To check the sudden spurt in street crime cases in the capital, the Delhi Police it seems have decided not to hesitate while opening fire on criminals in case they are challenged.
Several encounters recently by various units of Delhi Police have left the criminals with bullet injuries in their legs. The message seems clear that if the criminals dare open fire at cops, they would get the answer in the same coin. The sudden rise in cases like robbery and snatching has also led the specialised units to get tough on active criminals in the national capital.
Within a month the police had at least four encounters with the bullets hitting the criminals in their legs in the exchange of fire. Within a span of eight days from June 23 to July 1, at least four criminals have been shot below the knees by policemen at different locations in Delhi. Also, on June 3, an illegal arms manufacturer was apprehended after an exchange of fire near Shastri Park. The accused was injured in his leg.
On June 23, in an encounter with police near Pushta road, Geeta Colony, a criminal wanted in a MCOCA case identified as Rashid was shot below the right knee in the exchange of fire.
“To curb street crime, a team of special staff in Shahdara was in the area for patrolling. It was during patrolling that our team got information that a criminal wanted in MCOCA case would be going to Ghaziabad, UP. When he was asked to stop, the accused opened fire. In the retaliatory fire the accused received a bullet injury on his leg,” said Amit Sharma, DCP-Shahdara.
In another encounter on June 25, the police in an exchange of fire at Seemapuri shot a criminal on his left leg. He was wanted in many cases of snatching and robbery. In yet another encounter, two criminals sustained bullet injuries on their legs after they tried to challenge the cops with pistols.
There has been just a marginal decline in number of heinous crimes registered in Delhi until May 31 despite the lockdown compared to the same period last year. The statistics show that the capital recorded 2,205 heinous crimes till May 31 this year in comparison to 2,277 cases registered last year during the same period.
This shows that even the lockdown had a marginal effect in reducing heinous crimes.
Up to May 31, 596 cases of robbery have been recorded this year in comparison to 964 cases last year during the same period. Upto May 31, 2020, the statistics show that 2,141 cases of snatching were reported as compared to 2,811 cases last year.
Only 2 cases of dacoity this year till May 31 have been recorded in comparison to eight cases last year.
Earlier, Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal directed senior police officers to keep a vigil on street crime, while reviewing the law and order situation in the capital.
–IANS
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