Action taken against 7,015 feared criminals in 7.5 years

Lucknow: In a decisive crackdown on crime, the Yogi government, sticking to its ‘Zero Tolerance Policy’, has been ruthlessly cracking down on notorious criminals and illegal operations in Uttar Pradesh. The state’s Special Task Force (UPSTF) has taken swift action against drug peddlers, arms smugglers, cyber criminals and the ‘nakal mafia’. In the last seven-and-a-half years, over 7,000 notorious criminals have been arrested while 49 have been killed in encounters with police, in a major blow to organised crime in the state.

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In addition, significant quantities of illegal weapons, narcotics, and prohibited animal skins and bones have been seized. The STF, through its intelligence network, has also thwarted over 559 criminal incidents before they could occur, further demonstrating its proactive approach.

ADG STF Amitabh Yash said that in line with the directives of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, the STF is conducting a continuous campaign to curb crime and arrest criminals across the state. “In the last seven and a half years, the STF has arrested a total of 7,015 notorious and wanted criminals, with 49 criminals killed during this period. All of them carried a bounty of Rs 10,000 to Rs 5 lakh,” he said.

Moreover, through heightened alertness and vigilance under the zero tolerance policy, over 559 criminal incidents were prevented before they could occur. These included serious crimes such as kidnapping, robbery and planned assassination of public representatives, prominent persons and ordinary citizens. Furthermore, 3,970 organised criminals were also arrested during this period, he added.

On the instructions of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, the STF has taken action against 926 kingpins and fixers of 193 gangs in the last seven and a half years to eliminate exam-related malpractices like cheating and paper leaking. This has significantly increased the credibility of the Yogi government among the youth. In addition, 379 cyber criminals involved in various cyber crimes have been arrested.

In a separate campaign targeting illegal arms smuggling, the STF arrested 189 criminals and recovered 2,080 illegal weapons and 8,229 illegal cartridges from their possession.

Moreover, the STF cracked down on liquor smuggling and arrested 523 smugglers involved in transportation of liquor from states like Punjab and Haryana. A total of 80,579 cartons of liquor, 330,866 litres of rectified spirit and 7,560 litres of manufactured liquor from the country were seized during these operations.

STF Deputy SP Deepak Singh said the agency arrested 1,082 persons involved in illegal drug trade and seized a large quantity of narcotics including 91,147.48 kg ganja, 2,054,651 kg charas, 19,727.1 kg doda/poppy, 7.06 kg morphine, 723,758 kg smack, 21,521 kg heroin, 181,012 kg opium, 6.1 kg brown sugar, 6,938 kg methadrone and 280,899 banned drugs. Vehicles used for transportation of these substances were also seized and appropriate legal action initiated.

In addition, the STF arrested 170 criminals from various gangs involved in poaching and smuggling of prohibited wildlife. The seizures included 341 kg of tortoise calipee, 2 pangolin scales, 1 tiger skin, 18 kg of tiger bone, 2 elephant tusks, 8,011 tortoises, 4,922 prohibited birds, 1 hyena skeleton, 20 grey langurs, 1 leopard skin, 4.12 kg of ambergris, 4 wild boar teeth, 563.1 kg of red sandalwood, 44 ivory items, 25 leopard teeth, 24 leopard nails, 110 jackal horns, 140 Indrajal plants, 1 tiger skeleton, 1 python and 1 snake. Vehicles, cash and other items used in these illegal activities were also seized.

During this period, the STF carried out a total of 2,670 commendable operations.

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