New Delhi [India], October 3 (ANI): A team of the Special Cell has arrested two criminals following an encounter in Delhi's Kapashera area, officials said on Friday.

Additional CP of the Special Cell, Pramod Singh Kushwaha, said, 'The arrested criminals are Akash Rajput, a resident of Sri Ganganagar, Rajasthan, and Mahipal, a resident of Bharatpur, Rajasthan. Akash Rajput was involved in a ransom shooting outside a hospital in Assandh, Karnal, in July 2022, which was orchestrated by the expatriate gangster Daler Kotia,' the additional CP informed.

Adding further, Special Cell's Kushwaha said, 'He was also wanted in a kidnapping-for-ransom incident in Gujarat in July 2025, in which the expatriate gangster Kiritsinh Jhala demanded a ransom of 100 crore rupees from the victim. The Rajasthan Police had announced a reward of 20,000 rupees for Akash Rajput. He had recently joined Rohit Godara, Goldy Brar, and Virender Charan, who wanted Rajasthan gangsters Jagdish Jagla and Abhishek Gaur and had nearly completed the process of obtaining a fake passport to flee India. The criminal, Mahipal, was on bail after being arrested in the Assandh, Karnal shooting incident and had joined Akash Rajput, along with gangsters living abroad. The injured criminal has been sent for medical attention. Legal investigation is underway.'

Further details are awaited.

Earlier, in another operation, in a major crackdown on curbing distribution of adulterated food, Delhi Police's crime branch busted three illegal manufacturing units of adulterated desi ghee operating in North-East Delhi, officials said on Thursday.

According to an official statement, the crime branch, in collaboration with Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), conducted coordinated raids at Shiv Vihar, Karawal Nagar, and Mustafabad, resulting to the seizure of 1,625 kg of adulterated desi ghee and the arrest of six people.

The arrested have been identified as Shafiq, Shakir, Sharukh, Jamaluddin, and Yusuf, along with his son Mehboob. The police said that the accused mixed Dalda, vegetable oil and other chemicals into the ghee, which was then sold to various people in the market.

Meanwhile, ahead of the festivities, the Delhi police seized 693 kilograms of illegal firecrackers of 42 different brands and apprehended one person.According to the police, acting on secret information received by the Crime Branch, the Delhi Police conducted a raid in the Matiala village area of Delhi. It apprehended one person, a 52-year-old resident of the village, Dilbagh Singh.

During the operation, the Police recovered illegal firecrackers from the ground floor of the premises, which were being misused under the cover of an ice cream manufacturing unit. This illegal stock was kept under highly unsafe conditions in a residential area, posing a serious risk to public safety, as per the police. (ANI)