Delhi women cops go undercover as decoys, detain over 1 lakh for harassment, molestation

Over a year since their launch, Delhi Police’s Shishtachar squads have detained about 1.05 lakh people during 15,077 drives for street harassment, molestation, and other offences against women in public places.
The initiative was launched in March 2025, modelled after Uttar Pradesh’s ‘Anti-Romeo’ squads, following a Bharatiya Janata Party poll promise from the 2025 Delhi Assembly elections.
In 2025, the squads conducted 10,449 drives and detained 65,615 people. This year, they have already carried out 4,628 drives, detaining another 40,015 people, taking the cumulative figure to 1,05,630.
There are 30 Shishtachar squads across Delhi, with each squad comprising 11 core personnel: an Inspector, a Sub-Inspector, four women police officers and five male police officers, besides personnel from Special Staff or Anti-Auto Theft Squad for technical assistance.
The teams have women personnel in plain clothes to identify perpetrators and detain them. The squads conduct checks in high-footfall and vulnerable locations, including schools and colleges, malls, as well as isolated or poorly lit areas, looking for men who harass women, make inappropriate remarks, record women without consent, loiter suspiciously and create disturbances.
A woman official, involved in the operations, said that there are instances when men start following or misbehaving with us as well but the team detains them immediately.
Hari Krishan, Inspector with the Special Police Unit for Women and Children (SPUWAC) unit, said, “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 based on a combination of tip-offs, ground intelligence, direct observation and patterns emerging from previous complaints, said one of the officials said.
In most cases, men are taken to the local police station and a Daily Diary or General Diary entry is made. They are then counselled in the presence of their families and let off after a warning. Serious cases of sexual harassment or molestation result in FIRs and further investigation, said the official.
“The idea is to ensure women feel safe. They must know we are among them at all times if they are in need,” the official added.