Operation Hotspot Domination: 51 notorious criminals among 292 arrested by Haryana Police in one day

The crackdown of Haryana Police under ‘Operation Hotspot Domination’ continued to gather momentum as the campaign crossed its 10th day. On December 10 alone, police teams identified and conducted intensive searches at 808 hotspots across the state, registering 111 FIRs and arresting 292 accused in a single day. Among those apprehended were 51 absconding and violent criminals who had been evading the law for long, along with 16 people booked under six cases registered under the Arms Act.

A major thrust of the ongoing campaign is to eliminate drug trafficking and allied illegal activities. During the raids, police recovered Rs 3,23,530 in cash. Large quantities of narcotics and illicit liquor were seized, including 6 grams of cannabis, 44 gram of heroin, 15 gram of smack, 28 kg of poppy husk and 1 kg of opium. The day’s liquor haul included 27,826 bottles of English liquor, 349 bottles of country liquor, 410 bottles of illicit liquor and 46 beer bottles. Police teams also recovered weaponry comprising 4 country-made pistols, 8 handguns, 18 live cartridges, along with 4 mobile phones, 3 ATM cards, 2 cars, 2 motorcycles and 1 scooter.

Gurugram Police emerged as the strongest performing district during the day’s operation, registering 51 FIRs and arresting 126 accused — the highest among all districts. Gurugram also led the state in apprehending violent offenders (21) and seized a staggering 27,625 bottles of English liquor. Sonepat Police topped in cash seizures (Rs 2 lakh), followed by Rewari (around Rs 50,000). Palwal Police conducted 25 gun-house inspections, the highest in the state.

To weaken drug supply chains, Kaithal Police arrested 10 accused while seizing over 28 kg of poppy husk. Charkhi Dadri Police recovered stolen solar panels worth Rs 45,000, and Nuh Police seized cyber-related evidence, including SIM cards and ATM cards. Hansi Police issued six lookout circulars — the highest in the state — to tighten surveillance on offenders.

Alongside enforcement, the campaign incorporated a humanitarian approach. Police teams helped 772 needy individuals by distributing blankets, food and essential supplies during the biting cold, underscoring the message that Haryana Police is “as compassionate as it is firm.”

Faridabad Police also scored significant breakthroughs in cybercrime investigations, cracking two major cases. In the first case, a resident of Tirkha Colony lost Rs 2,05,003 after downloading a fraudulent APK file that gave fraudsters access to his credit card details. Police traced the trail to Delhi and Uttar Pradesh and arrested Brijesh of Agrola (Loni), and Sonu and Vineet of Burari (Delhi). Brijesh, an electrician, and the two delivery boys had used Brijesh’s bank account to funnel stolen funds.

In another case at Cyber Police Station NIT, a woman from Pahadi Colony was duped of Rs 4,71,000 through a fake “work from home” Google-task scam. The investigation led police to Dausa, Rajasthan, where they arrested Chhota Lal Meena, a 12th-pass borewell worker who admitted to renting his bank account to cybercriminals for commission. Rs 1 lakh of the defrauded money had been deposited in his account.

Legal proceedings are under way. Brijesh has been sent to jail, while Sonu, Vineet and Chhota Lal Meena are under two-day police remand as investigators work to identify the masterminds.