New Delhi

Delhi Police has arrested 44 people, including three proclaimed offenders, in 34 criminal cases during a 72-hour crackdown in the northwest district, an official said on Friday.

Police also claimed to have traced five missing persons. The drive targeted street crime, organised criminal activities, cyber fraud, illegal liquor trade, gambling and habitual offenders across the district, they said.

Police said the five traced persons included four minors and one person with intellectual disability, all of whom were safely reunited with their families.

"Among the major cases, teams arrested a 28-year-old alleged burglar from Ashok Vihar and recovered stolen gold and silver jewellery from his possession. The accused, identified as Chandan alias Rahul, is a listed bad character with 34 criminal cases," a senior police officer said.

In another case, three men were arrested within eight hours of a robbery reported in the Subhash Place area. Police recovered the complainant's robbed cash, documents and a stolen scooter with a country-made pistol.

A suspected snatcher was also arrested in Mukherjee Nagar, leading to the recovery of five stolen mobile phones and a stolen motorcycle. Police said his involvement was established in 10 snatching and theft cases, while he has a criminal history of 41 cases.

The district's cyber team also arrested two men in separate cyber fraud cases. One of them, arrested from West Bengal, is accused of cheating and sextortion through matrimonial websites involving over Rs 14 lakh.

"Another accused, a domestic helper, allegedly siphoned off Rs 4.01 lakh from his employer's elderly father by fraudulently creating a UPI ID using confidential banking details.

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"Sixteen people arrested in Excise Act. Ten people were apprehended in gambling cases," the officer added.