Jaipur, April 10 : In Rajasthan, 5,137 teams of police have arrested over 20,000 miscreants in the last three months (January to March) under 'Operation Vajra Prahar', reducing the number of criminal cases by 9 per cent, DGP Umesh Mishra informed on Monday. Strict action has been taken against those who praise, follow and support criminals, the DGP said during a media briefing at the police headquarters here. The campaign specifically targeted gangs possessing illegal weapons and also those involved in firing incidents. Eventually, there has been a decrease in the number followers of gangsters on social media due to which there has also been a drop in calls for ransom, Mishra said. The DGP said that an 'area domination and raid and search' campaign has been launched in the desert state after in-depth homework in all the districts and ranges. As many as 5,137 teams of police raided about 13,600 places and arrested 20,542 miscreants in the first three months of the year, due to whcih there has been a decrease of 9 per cent in the number of criminal cases as compared to the corresponding period of last year, Mishra said. The DGP said that some criminals commit crimes while sitting outside the country and a probe has been initiated against them with the help of Interpol. In this regard, a red corner notice has been issued against gangster Rohm Godara, while similar notices are being prepared for gangsters Anmol Vishnoi and Goldie Brar, the DGP said. "Strict action is being taken by the police against those who attack cops and those who try to escape from police custody. In 2023, 21 criminals were shot dead in police encounters so far, while 25 miscreants were injured while trying to escape," Mishra said. ADG (Crime) Dinesh M.N. said that Operation Vajra Prahar was started by the police to root out the criminals. Under this campaign, homework is also being done to take action against illegal properties and vehicles. The ADG said that a total of 36 cases were registered against those who followed criminals on social media, 56 persons have been arrested in such cases. As a result of police action, the number of followers of 'Monu' group in Bikaner has gone down from 36,537 to 9,189. Similarly, the number followers of gangster Rohit Godara has dropped from 38,862 to 6,558. /IANS