Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala police have arrested more than 2,500 people under ‘Operation Aag’ in a massive crackdown across the state targeting people accused in various criminal cases.
In a statement, the police said that 2,507 persons were arrested across the state, 300 of them ‘fugitives’, as part of its initiative to curb ‘anti-social activities’ in Kerala.
Some are absconding while others are those who have not appeared even after arrest warrants were served.
Those who are arrested under non-bailable charges will be remanded in judicial custody while the others will be placed in preventive custody for more than 24 hours and will be let scot-free after questioning.
The arrests were made after raiding 3,501 places since February 4 starting at about 11 pm and continued till Sunday, registering a total of 1,673 cases.
The arrested persons were booked under the Kerala Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Act (KAAPA), as well as those accused in various drugs-related cases under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.
As per reports, police have caught nearly 50% of the fugitives wanted on their list.
Thiruvananthapuram recorded the maximum number of arrests (333), but most cases were registered in Kannur district (257). Thrissur recorded 301 arrests, while Kozhikode saw 272 cases being registered, followed by Kannur (271), Thiruvananthapuram (239) and Thrissur (214). The police action came after a rise in ‘anti-social activities’ was reported in the state.
The Kerala Police has been facing criticism from several quarters including the ruling CPI(M) over the increase in the number of crimes, including drug peddling and assault against women.
In 2021, Kerala police launched a similar drive in the name of ‘Operation Kaaval’ for cracking down on anti-social elements. However, it was later discontinued as it was seen as an alleged move by the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government to build a database of activists opposed to their development projects.
The project invited further criticisms when people with no criminal cases against them, but known to speak out against those in power, were asked by the police to submit their details in the name of the operation.