Lucknow, Jul 17 (PTI) Since 2017, the Uttar Pradesh Police has recorded nearly 15,000 encounters, in which more than 30,000 criminals were arrested while over 9,000 suffered gunshot injuries in the leg and 238 killed during operations targeting fugitives and repeat offenders, officials said on Thursday.
Director General of Police (DGP) Rajeev Krishna said acting on Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s directives, the department has maintained an aggressive crackdown on crime.
“Over the last eight years, 14,973 operations have been carried out, resulting in the arrest of 30,694 criminals. Of them, 9,467 who attacked police were shot in the leg, while 238 were killed in encounters,” Krishna said.
“The highest number of actions took place in the Meerut zone in western Uttar Pradesh, where 7,969 criminals were arrested and 2,911 injured. In the Agra zone, 5,529 criminals were arrested, with 741 injured, and in the Bareilly zone, 4,383 criminals were caught, with 921 injured. In the Varanasi zone, police arrested 2,029 criminals and injured 620,” the DGP said in a statement.
In the commissionerate areas, Gautam Buddh Nagar recorded the highest number of arrests with 1,983 criminals caught and 1,180 injured. In Ghaziabad Commissionerate, 1,133 were arrested and 686 injured, while in Agra Commissionerate, 1,060 criminals were arrested and 271 injured, Krishna said.
He further mentioned that since Adityanath took office in 2017, his top priority was to establish the rule of law in Uttar Pradesh and eliminate criminals from the state.
He noted that the chief minister had made it clear that “criminals have no place in Uttar Pradesh. They must either give up crime or leave the state”.
The DGP said in order to strengthen law enforcement, the government has equipped the police force with modern weapons and advanced training, while also boosting their morale.
“Thanks to these strict policies and continuous campaigns, Uttar Pradesh is now considered one of the safest states in India,” the state police chief said. PTI KIS RC
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