Cops do a good job on law and order front

No major untoward incident was reported in the city which welcomed the new year in a grand manner. The Mumbai police had left no stone unturned in their efforts to make the city safe for citizens on New Year's Eve.

Revellers who had gone out to party with family and friends also seemed happy to have seen police in such large numbers on Mumbai streets.

"I had gone out with my friends in Bandra to party and saw policemen in the area patrolling the streets. There were nakabandi too at various places. I think they did a good job on New Year's Eve," said Manoj Bhatia, 40, an entrepreneur from Malad.

Another reveller, Francis Alber, 29, from Sion, said: "I was out till late into the night. When we were returning home around 3am, there were nakabandis and motorist were checked for drink driving."

According to the police, the massive bandobast on streets had deterred hooligans from eve teasing and other crimes. The police had detained around 1,120 people who had criminal history – sexual assaults, assaults – and put them under preventive custody. On the night, around 310 people were penalised for petty crimes; action was taken against 131 rowdy elements and 30 people were booked for drug consumption.

Deputy commissioner of police (detection) Dhananjay Kulkarni said: "We are happy that the celebration went on without problems. Our force did a good job in keeping check on sensitive areas, eve teasing, etc." He added: "This year there was around 30 per cent decrease in the number of people who went out to party. The trend seems to be house parties."