New Delhi, Oct 5: The Supreme Court on Monday directed the Delhi Police and the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to place their responses on record within four weeks in its suo motu proceedings concerning recent rape and sexual assault incidents in Delhi-NCR, orally observing that it was important to prevent crimes rather than taking follow-up action.

A Bench of Justices J.B. Pardiwala and K. Vinod Chandran stressed the need for effective preventive measures and continuous monitoring of vulnerable public spaces to ensure the safety of women and children.

The apex court orally remarked that merely putting measures on paper would not be sufficient and said that authorities must take concrete action to prevent crimes.

“We have to work together. We must ensure that every woman in Delhi-NCR should feel safe even at 11 p.m. whether travelling on the roads or the metro,” the Justice Pardiwala-led Bench observed.

It further said that the focus should be on preventing crime rather than merely acting after an offence has taken place.

“What is important is to prevent a crime, not what you do after a crime is committed,” the top court said, stressing that the police must create fear among “goons and anti-social elements” who are prone to committing such crimes.

The Supreme Court also questioned the Delhi Police on the effectiveness of CCTV surveillance in the absence of continuous monitoring and asked whether there was a mechanism for continuous monitoring of vulnerable areas.

It also questioned the absence of a dedicated “war room” for monitoring and responding to incidents, asking how crime could be prevented without such a mechanism.

“You have to create fear in the mind of a person who is ready to commit a crime,” the bench observed, adding that the police were required to instil the fear that committing such offences would have severe consequences.

The proceedings arise from the Supreme Court’s suo motu cognisance of a series of disturbing reports of rape and sexual assault across Delhi-NCR.

In its order passed on September 28, the apex court had expressed serious concern over the safety of public spaces, including parks, roads, buses, metro stations, subways and footbridges, observing that such places could not be allowed to become high-risk zones due to inadequate lighting, poor surveillance, or lax patrolling.

The bench had also sought a comprehensive status report on the safety arrangements in public places, the use of the National Database on Sexual Offenders (NDSO), the Investigation Tracking System for Sexual Offences (ITSSO), the Mission Shakti programme, emergency response systems, women’s helplines, CCTV coverage, women help desks and One Stop Centres.

It had directed the Delhi Police to constitute dedicated teams for each police district to identify vulnerable locations and prepare district-wise vulnerability maps. It had further ordered audits of lighting and CCTV infrastructure and intensified patrolling in identified vulnerable areas.

The proceedings came against the backdrop of several reported sexual offences, including the alleged gang rape of a 17-year-old girl at Aastha Kunj Park and the alleged sexual assault of a minor inside a moving sleeper bus travelling from Greater Noida to Delhi. The apex court had observed that the latter incident raised painful parallels with the 2012 Nirbhaya case.

The matter is now tentatively listed for further hearing on November 16.

New Delhi, Oct 5: Delhi Police have busted two fake job-placement call centres operating from Lal Ratan Building near Shadipur Metro Station in Ranjit Nagar and apprehended 11 operatives in separate raids.

According to police, the two operations were carried out by teams of Special Staff, Ranjit Nagar Police Station and Cyber Police Station, Central District. The accused targeted unemployed job seekers by obtaining their personal data from online job-search and recruitment platforms and using it to make targeted calls.

The fraudsters posed as recruiters and offered attractive employment opportunities to prospective candidates. They subsequently demanded registration and processing fees under different pretexts. Police said amounts of Rs 3,500, Rs 1,400 and Rs 1,200 were demanded from job seekers under different packages.

The first operation was conducted on October 3 after police received information about a suspected fake job-placement centre functioning in the area. Technical analysis and field verification indicated that a significant number of calls linked to the suspected recruitment activity were originating from the location.

A police team subsequently raided the premises and apprehended six persons, including four women and two men. During the search, police examined computer systems, calling applications and digital material allegedly being used to contact job seekers.

Police said the suspects were using job-seeker data and contact details to approach prospective candidates and offer them employment. After collecting registration fees, the callers allegedly continued communicating with the candidates for a few days, assuring them about the proposed employment and further formalities. Communication was then allegedly discontinued without providing the promised jobs.

In a separate operation, a joint team of Special Staff and Police Station Cyber, Central District, raided another suspected fake job-placement call centre in the same building based on specific intelligence. Five male operatives were allegedly found actively working from calling cubicles and were apprehended.

When questioned, the operatives failed to produce corporate authorisation letters, placement agreements or records establishing that candidates had actually been placed in jobs. Police also found “Xlite” VoIP calling software installed on computers, along with job-seeker data and other digital evidence.

The two raids resulted in the apprehension of 11 persons in total.

Those apprehended from the first centre have been identified as Arpit, 38; Sakina, 29; Karishma, 27; Meenakshi, 28; Chanchal, 27; and Ashok, 36. All are residents of different parts of Delhi.

The five operatives apprehended in the second centre have been identified as Asim, 32; Sandeep, 29; Gaurav Malik, 34; Gyan Singh, 32; and Rohit, 34.

Police seized 13 computer systems, five mobile phones, calling applications, job-seeker data, contact details, communication records and digital evidence related to suspected financial transactions from the two premises.

According to police, the accused allegedly obtained job-seeker information from online recruitment platforms, including Shine.com in one case, and used the data to make targeted calls. They lured candidates with attractive job offers before demanding registration or processing fees.

Further investigation is underway to identify the alleged owners and masterminds behind the two operations, trace the source of the job-seeker data, examine financial transactions and identify other persons involved in the suspected network.

A case under Sections 319(2), 318(4), and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) has been registered in the case investigated by Police Station Ranjit Nagar. The seized electronic devices and digital data are being examined as per the law.

New Delhi, Oct 5: Delhi Police’s North District has arrested five accused in connection with a Rs 19.50 lakh robbery case registered at Kashmere Gate Police Station. Police have recovered Rs 9 lakh in cash and an iPhone purchased with the looted money.

The incident took place on September 30, when two men travelling on separate motorcycles were robbed of approximately Rs 19.50 Lakh in cash on the Rani Jhansi flyover in Delhi.

According to police, the victims worked for a businessman in Chandni Chowk and were carrying the cash after leaving the area. A man working in Chandni Chowk tracked their movements and subsequently planned the robbery with four associates from Ghaziabad.

The accused initially intercepted the victims near Kashmere Gate, assaulted them and attempted to rob them. However, the victims managed to escape with the help of members of the public. They did not make a PCR call at that time.

The accused later followed the victims and intercepted them again on the Rani Jhansi flyover, where they assaulted them and robbed them of the cash.

A team led by North Delhi Deputy Commissioner of Police Niharika Bhatt subsequently launched an investigation and arrested five accused in connection with the case. Police recovered Rs 9 lakh in cash and an iPhone bought using the stolen money. Efforts are underway to identify and apprehend other suspected accomplices.

In a separate case, also linked to Kashmere Gate, police on September 30 had arrested a 21-year-old man and his 24-year-old associate and apprehended a juvenile for their alleged involvement in the killing of a cash collection agent during an armed robbery at an underpass in north Delhi.

Joint Commissioner of Police (Central Range) Madhur Verma had said that the victim, identified as Prabhat, was returning home with his nephew, Sachin, after collecting payments from shops in Gandhi Nagar Market when four armed men intercepted their e-rickshaw at around 7.20 p.m. on September 24.

According to police, the assailants had snatched their cash bag and stabbed Prabhat, Sachin and another passenger when they resisted. Prabhat was declared dead at a hospital, while two others sustained injuries.

DCP Niharika Bhatt had said the investigation team traced a Maruti Swift that had made a sharp U-turn near the underpass. However, the registration number displayed on the vehicle was found to be fake.