New Delhi, Jul 27: Scrutiny of 2,873 people present at and around the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) protest at the Jantar Mantar here has revealed that over 980 of them have previous criminal records, including cases of murder, attempt to murder, robbery, rape, kidnapping, crimes against women, illegal firearms and narcotics, according to official sources.
Police analysis showed that at least 101 people have been previously involved in murder cases, 62 in attempt-to-murder cases, 284 in robbery and dacoity cases, 229 under the Arms Act, 135 in snatching cases, 19 in kidnapping cases, and 67 in cases registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, a senior police official privy to the probe told PTI.
They further said 61 of these individuals have been involved in rape cases, 25 in cases related to outraging modesty of women or molestation, while six have been booked under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
The verification exercise comes in the backdrop of clashes that broke out during the CJP’s “Chalo Sansad” protest on July 20. According to police, more than 65 protesters were injured, while over 200 police personnel sustained injuries. Protestors alleged that security forces used pellet guns against peaceful demonstrators.
According to the source, the verification exercise was undertaken after large crowds gathered at and around the CJP protest venue and the subsequent violence during the July 20 agitation in New Delhi district.
They said the exercise was aimed at identifying people with previous criminal involvement and assessing the nature of individuals participating in or moving around the protest site.
The findings form part of a larger scrutiny exercise carried out through police databases and dossier verification systems, the source said.
According to police, criminal antecedents of 2,873 individuals were examined. Of them, 989 were found to have previous involvement in serious criminal cases, indicating that more than one-third of those screened had police records.
Police maintained that the exercise relied on existing criminal databases and dossier records kept by different district police units and other law enforcement agencies.
“The analysis showed that among the 101 people linked to murder cases, 42 have been involved in two or more criminal cases, while 12 have criminal histories involving 10 or more cases, suggesting repeated involvement in serious offences,” the source said.
Similarly, of the 62 people linked to attempt-to-murder cases, 25 have two or more criminal cases against them, they said.
Police records showed that 284 individuals have previously figured in robbery and dacoity cases. Of them, 155 have been involved in two or more criminal cases, while 31 have criminal histories involving 10 or more cases, indicating that several are repeat offenders.
The scrutiny also found 61 people involved in rape cases. Police records showed that eight of them have been involved in two or more criminal cases.
Six individuals have been booked under the POCSO Act, while 25 people have been involved in cases related to outraging modesty of women or molestation. Of those facing crimes against women cases, six have two or more criminal cases registered against them, according to the source.
The verification further showed widespread involvement in offences relating to illegal weapons.
Police data indicates that 229 people have previous criminal records under the Arms Act, making it one of the largest categories identified during the scrutiny exercise. Police also found 135 individuals with previous involvement in snatching cases, 19 linked to kidnapping cases, and 67 with NDPS Act cases present at and around Jantar Mantar during the CJP protest.
Among those linked to narcotics offences, nine have been involved in two or more criminal cases, police records showed.
Police also shared examples of dossier verification carried out during the exercise. According to the source, dossiers containing criminal histories of identified persons were matched with police records maintained by various district units.
One such dossier accessed during the verification process showed an accused linked to multiple FIRs registered in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh. The dossier listed cases under various sections, besides Arms Act provisions, registered at Tilak Nagar, Vivek Vihar and Sahibabad police stations.
According to the district-wise data, the West district accounted for the highest number cases with 26 dossiers, followed by Northeast with 23, South with 22, Central with 21, Southwest with 18, Southeast with 17, East with 15, New Delhi with 14, Shahdara with 12, Outernorth with 11, North and Rohini with nine each, Northwest with eight, Outer with six, and Dwarka with five.
In all, 216 dossiers were processed by different district police units as part of the verification exercise.
“The scrutiny was intended to identify the criminal background of people present at and around the protest site and to assist investigators examining the violence that erupted during the agitation,” the source said.
Police sources said the findings would form part of the overall investigation into the violence witnessed during the protest and would be used to identify individuals requiring further verification. (PTI)
