Patna, Sep 8 (IANS) The Bihar Police has intensified its crackdown on crime, arresting over 2.28 lakh accused from January to July 2025, including thousands of hardcore criminals and Maoists.

Additional Director General (ADG) of Law and Order, Pankaj Kumar Darad, said that among those arrested are 8,823 hardcore criminals and 141 Naxalites, many of them carrying cash rewards on their heads.

“The percentage of hardcore criminals among total arrests is about 40, which is a major achievement for Bihar Police,” he said.

The ADG raised arrests compared to previous years.

In 2025 (till July), 2,28,188 accused were arrested

In 2024 (full year), a total of 3,35,000 arrested. The figure in 2023 (full year) was 3,51,424 arrests, and in 2022 (full year), a total of 3,46,332 accused were arrested.

Police officials expect this year’s figure to surpass previous years, as the pace of arrests is significantly higher.

The police are also focusing on the recovery of illegal weapons and cartridges.

This year, Bihar police seized 16,301 cartridges till July 2025. The figures in 2024 were 6,702, 30,201 in 2023 and 28,200 in 2022.

Bihar police seized 2625 illegal weapons till July 2025. In 2024, the state police had seized 4917, 4813 in 2023, and 4288 in 2022.

In the first seven months of this year, the police also recovered 38 regular or stolen weapons snatched from security forces.

“We have initiated a special campaign against illegal arms manufacturing units and busted 36 mini gun factories till July 2025. The figures in 2024 were 114, 55 in 2023 and 32 in 2022,” he said.

The ADG said that all police stations have been directed to prepare a list of hardcore and absconding criminals.

A state-wide campaign is underway with the combined efforts of local police and the Special Task Force (STF) to ensure arrests of long-absconding offenders.

“The focus is not just on quantity but on targeting hardcore criminals and dismantling networks of illegal arms and Maoist elements. Our strategy is to combine district-level action with specialised operations,” ADG Darad emphasised.

–IANS

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