Mysterious explosions, bomb threat spree, extortion calls kept Delhi Police on toes in 2024

New Delhi: A series of bomb threats to the city's schools, hospitals and airport, two mysterious explosions, and a surge in extortion calls targeting businesspersons put the Delhi Police through the wringer in 2024.

Gang rivalry also reared its ugly head as criminal factions clashed with each other throughout the year, resulting in several targeted killings with former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal labelling Delhi the country's "gangster capital".

The bomb threat emails targeting various installations, including schools, hospitals, and airline companies, began in May of this year.

In December alone, more than 100 schools received bomb threats from unknown senders, who have yet to be identified, with all of them being declared hoaxes.

According to a police officer, the investigation into the bomb threat emails sent through virtual private networks has been a major "challenge" for the force.

He said the probe in the cases was still on and expressed hope that the culprits would be caught soon.

While the police struggled to achieve a breakthrough in these cases, two mysterious explosions in Rohini's Prashant Vihar in October and November only added to their woes, as they toiled to determine the nature of the blasts.

Meanwhile, there was a significant increase in cases of extortion calls, along with shootings outside the residences of businesspersons, property dealers, car showrooms, and sweet and jewellery shops.

With the gang leaders mostly operating from behind bars or residing abroad, finding ways to curb such incidents became a headache for the city police.

On August 10, the police identified 11 gangs involved in a spree of extortion calls, threats to businesspersons, shootings, and killings in the National Capital Region.

The gangs included Lawrence Bishnoi-Goldy Brar, Himanshu Bhau, Kapil Sangwan alias Nandu, Manjeet Mahal, Neeraj Bawana, and Hashim Baba among others.

Following a gang war, the horrific murder of a 26-year-old man was caught on a CCTV camera inside a Burger King outlet in west Delhi on June 18.

The police managed to arrest two people, including a woman, who played a role in honey-trapping the man, leading to the murder. Additionally, three alleged shooters were gunned down in an encounter in Haryana's Sonipat.

In another incident of gang violence, a patient admitted to GTB Hospital in northeast Delhi was shot dead on July 14.

The police later found it was a case of mistaken identity and apprehended the shooters, who were members of the Hashim Baba gang.

On September 14, a 35-year-old gym owner was shot dead by the Lawrence Bishnoi-Hashim Baba Gang in south Delhi's Greater Kailash. The victim was reportedly an associate of a rival gang leader.

Meanwhile, amidst the bloody gang wars spilling onto the streets, the city witnessed the marriage of two gangsters.

Jailed criminal Sandeep alias Kala Jathedi, an associate of Bishnoi, tied the knot with lady don Anuradha Choudhary alias 'Revolver Rani' under police watch following a court direction on March 12.

Days later, gangster Yogesh Dahiya alias Tunda got married under the watch of police personnel at a temple in west Delhi's Vikaspuri area on March 15.

One of the main henchmen of the Gogi gang, Tunda was allegedly involved in the murder of gangster Sunil Maan alias Tillu Tajpuria in May 2023 inside Tihar Jail.

Aggravating the plight of the Delhi Police was the March 8 incident involving a sub-inspector caught in a video kicking and assaulting a small group of men offering namaz by the side of a busy road in Inderlok.

As the 34-second video clip began circulating on social media, the Delhi Police faced public criticism leading to the suspension of the officer and legal action against him.

In August, the police received a rap on its knuckles from the Delhi High Court as it transferred the investigation into the basement drowning deaths at a coaching centre in Old Rajendra Nagar to the Central Bureau of Investigation.

Three civil service aspirants died due to rain-induced flooding in the basement on July 27.

In another tragic incident in May, seven toddlers lost their lives after a fire broke out in an east Delhi hospital, prompting authorities, including police, to crack down on illegally operating hospitals.

The Special Cell of the Delhi Police filed an FIR and arrested Arun Reddy, an AICC national coordinator from Telangana, in connection with a doctored "deepfake" video of Home Minister Amit Shah surfacing on social media during the Lok Sabha polls.

The murders of two on-duty young police constables -- Sandeep in Nangloi on September 29 and Kiranpal in Govindpuri on November 23 -- by criminals dealt a blow to the morale of the force. However, in both cases, the police apprehended the assailants and ensured justice for the fallen officers.

A suspected suicide pact of five members of a family -- a man and his four daughters -- at their house in Vasant Kunj in September and the murder of a middle-aged man, his wife and daughter by his young son in Neb Sarai in December kept the police occupied.

At the end of 2024, during the winter session of Parliament, the Delhi Police booked Leader of Opposition and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi following a scuffle between opposition and BJP MPs on the Parliament premises.

The case has been transferred to the Crime Branch and an investigation is underway.