Undercover Delhi Police squads detain over 1 lakh in anti-harassment drives

Since their launch in March 2025, the Delhi Police’s Shishtachar squads have detained approximately 1.05 lakh people during 15,077 drives targeting street harassment, molestation, and other offences against women in public places.

The initiative, modelled after Uttar Pradesh’s ‘Anti-Romeo’ squads, was introduced following a Bharatiya Janata Party poll promise during the 2025 Delhi Assembly elections. In the first year, the squads conducted 10,449 drives and detained 65,615 people. This year, they have carried out 4,628 additional drives, detaining another 40,015 individuals, bringing the cumulative figure to 1,05,630.

Delhi currently has 30 Shishtachar squads, each comprising 11 core personnel: an Inspector, a Sub-Inspector, four women police officers, and five male police officers. They are supported by technical assistance from Special Staff or the Anti-Auto Theft Squad. Women personnel in plain clothes play a key role in identifying and detaining perpetrators during these operations.

The squads focus on high-footfall and vulnerable locations, including schools, colleges, malls, and isolated or poorly lit areas. They look for men who harass women, make inappropriate remarks, record women without consent, loiter suspiciously, or create disturbances. A woman official involved in the operations noted that there have been instances where men began following or misbehaving with the undercover officers, but the team detains them immediately.

Hari Krishan, an Inspector with the Special Police Unit for Women and Children (SPUWAC), explained the modus operandi: “Our team in plain clothes boards the bus from one station and stays onboard for three or four stations, or all along the route, depending on the need. There are several instances where men, not realising that the woman is a cop, end up making a move or behaving inappropriately with them.”

The operations are driven by a combination of tip-offs, ground intelligence, direct observation, and patterns emerging from previous complaints, according to an official. In most cases, detained individuals are taken to the local police station, where a Daily Diary or General Diary entry is made. They are then counselled in the presence of their families and released with a warning. More serious cases of sexual harassment or molestation result in FIRs and further investigation.

An official emphasised the broader objective: “The idea is to ensure women feel safe. They must know we are among them at all times if they are in need.”