Gandhinagar: Gujarat DGP Vikas Sahay announced in a press conference today that the state police have identified 8,374 anti-social elements within 100 hours as part of a statewide crackdown. Authorities have also launched demolition actions against illegal structures linked to criminal activities, reinforcing strict measures to maintain law and order.

Addressing the press conference, the state police chief said, “A few days ago, an order was issued to all police stations across Gujarat to compile a list of anti-social elements, including criminals and gangsters, within their jurisdiction within the next 100 hours. After preparing the list, strict action was to be taken against these elements as per the law.”

“This 100-hour deadline is now over, and during this period, a total of 8,374 anti-social elements have been identified across police stations in the state. Among them, 3,240 are bootleggers, 322 are regular gamblers, and 2,739 are involved in crimes related to prostitution, hooliganism, assault, and threats. Additionally, 1,355 individuals are involved in property-related offenses, while 68 identified individuals have links to the mining mafia,” he added.

Each police station has been instructed that now that the list is ready, strict legal action must follow under the “whole-of-government” approach. “During the process of compiling this list, we found that many of these individuals had constructed illegal structures, encroached on government land, or obtained illegal electricity and water connections. Action has already begun against them. In the past two days, several illegal constructions have been demolished in Ahmedabad, Surat, Rajkot, and other cities, while illegal power connections have been severed,” he said.

“As per the latest available figures, 200 illegal connections have been disconnected, and 77 illegal structures have either been demolished or are in the process of being razed. Our State Monitoring Cell, which handles prohibition-related crimes, has identified 24 top bootleggers. Among them, 19 illegal properties have been listed for demolition, and action has already begun, particularly in Ahmedabad,” he stated.

“Gujarat is a peace-loving state, and its people value harmony. However, these 8,000-10,000 individuals pose a threat to public safety. We will not tolerate this at any cost. All units of the Gujarat Police are prepared to take strict action against these elements to ensure law and order,” the DGP asserted. DeshGujarat