Police in Indian capital detain over 1,500 people in night operation

NEW DELHI, June 27 (Xinhua) -- Indian police in the capital city of Delhi detained over 1,500 people and seized 270 vehicles during an intensified night patrol operation, a local media report quoted police officials as saying Tuesday.

Meanwhile, five people were arrested for a daylight robbery of 2,438 U.S. dollars, police said.

According to the police, swift action to arrest the culprits and intensify night patrolling was taken against "bad characters" and those responsible for disturbing peace in the city.

The massive crackdown carried out on Monday night was initiated after a delivery agent and his associate were allegedly robbed at gunpoint by four motorcycle-riding men inside the Pragati Maidan tunnel.

The incident caught on closed-circuit television cameras installed at the location raised questions over the capital city's law and order situation.

Commenting on the robbery, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal demanded the resignation of Lieutenant Governor (LG) V K Saxena, who is the federal government's representative. Law and order in Delhi is directly controlled by the federal government.

Kejriwal also repeated his long-standing demand that the control of the police force be handed over to the Delhi government.