Reels to raids: Delhi Police's 'Op Shashtra' target online glorification of guns; 61 FIRs filed, 67 arrested

NEW DELHI: The glorification of weapons by youths, gangs and even firearm traffickers has increasingly become common on social media, posing real-world safety risks. To stop this burgeoning digital normalisation of weapons, Delhi Police commissioner Satish Golcha has launched Op Shashtra, which focuses on teenagers and young adults who are often found using short-format videos and reels to brandish firearms or knives.

The first phase of the crackdown has led to the registration of 61 FIRs and the arrest of 67 people, said special commissioner (law and order) Ravindra Yadav. Fifteen teenagers were also apprehended and produced before the juvenile justice board. Police seized 69 firearms and 93 live rounds/cartridges, besides over a dozen knives and sharp-edged improvised tools.


"The methodology of Operation Shastra was built upon the three inter-linked pillars of deterrence, disruption and direction. More than 500 teams, comprising over 2,000 personnel from the special staff, cyber cells and local police stations, conducted a systematic review of more than 6,000 social media profiles," special CP (crime) Devesh Srivastava said. Police scanned the profiles, which were either open to public viewing, a criterion for monetisation, or by "befriending" them using anonymous accounts.

To pull it off, the cops "trained" social media algorithms to act as crime-hunting tools — rather than passive monitoring, a team of officers dedicated hours to intentionally consuming content from accounts linked to such activities. By interacting with specific markers, such as usernames containing 302 (IPC section for murder) or hashtags mentioning notorious gangsters like Lawrence Bishnoi, Jitender Gogi and Tillu Tajpuria, police had got the platform's recommendation engine to flood their feeds with similar users.

By analysing follower lists, tagged locations and ‘virtual handshakes' found in profile bios, investigators mapped out entire networks of aspiring criminals and gang affiliates. In some cases, undercover cops created fake gang-affiliated profiles, leading suspects to mistakenly send direct messages boasting of their weapon stashes or an invite to join a gang.

Beyond the recovery of genuine ballistics, police also identified numerous instances where imitation weapons were used for online clout, highlighting a psychological trend of seeking validation through the projection of a "gangster-style" persona.

A core component of the drive was understanding the sociological drivers behind this digital bravado. Analytical insights revealed that much of the content was fuelled by a pursuit of rapid follower growth, peer influence and the imitation of popular culture trends that romanticise criminal lifestyles. "Many young individuals were found to be unaware of the severe legal and reputational consequences of their impulsive content creation. Hence, we integrated preventive counselling and parental engagement, moving beyond mere arrests," special CP Madhup Tiwari said.