Nagpur Police Launches ‘Garud Drishti’ and Cyber Lab to Revolutionize Digital Policing in 2025

In a groundbreaking move to combat the rising tide of cyber threats and digital crimes, the Nagpur City Police has unveiled a dual technological initiative under the banner of CyberHack Event 2025. The official launch of the ‘Garud Drishti’ social media monitoring system and an advanced Cyber Lab underscores a new era of digital intelligence and proactive policing in the city.

‘Garud Drishti’: Real-Time Social Media Surveillance for Public Safety

The introduction of ‘Garud Drishti’ marks a pivotal shift in how law enforcement addresses the challenges posed by social media misuse. This AI-powered social media surveillance tool is engineered to monitor digital platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and X (formerly Twitter) in real time. The system leverages hashtag and keyword tracking to pinpoint content that may signal potential criminal, terrorist, or violent activity.

With the growing concern over misinformation, hate speech, and extremist propaganda, this tool empowers authorities to act swiftly. It features automated threat detection, classifying content into actionable categories such as:

• Political Sensitivity

• Religious Sentiment

  

• Criminal Intent

• VIP Threats

This categorization ensures daily intelligence reports are dispatched to relevant police units, enabling rapid response and on-ground enforcement.

AI-Driven Visual Intelligence and Facial Recognition

What sets Garud Drishti apart is its cutting-edge AI-enabled image recognition module. This feature allows the system to detect violent or weapon-related content—even in the absence of textual cues. More significantly, the tool integrates facial recognition technology, helping police match images and videos with known suspects.

Whether it’s a missing person case or tracking a wanted criminal, this capability accelerates identification processes and enhances investigation accuracy. By analyzing publicly accessible media, law enforcement can build robust leads without overstepping legal boundaries.

Compliance with Indian Cyber Law and Legal Frameworks

To ensure ethical surveillance and due process, Garud Drishti operates in compliance with:

• Information Technology Act, 2000 – particularly Sections 69 and 79, pertaining to data access and intermediary liabilities.

• Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) – particularly Sections 196 (sedition), 299 (unlawful assembly), and 353 (assault on public servant).

The platform retains secure digital logs for all flagged activities, creating a transparent and traceable audit trail for court-admissible evidence.

Integrated Reporting and Platform Collaboration

One of the most strategic aspects of Garud Drishti is its integration with official reporting mechanisms provided by social media giants. Through this, the tool can directly flag:

• Objectionable Posts

• Violent Videos

• Fake News Accounts

• Propaganda Handles

These reports can be escalated for review or removal based on each platform’s community guidelines and legal obligations. This collaborative ecosystem ensures that harmful content is not only detected but also neutralized effectively.

Inauguration of Cyber Lab: Forensics Meets Technology

In tandem with Garud Drishti, the Nagpur Police inaugurated a next-generation Cyber Lab, equipped with state-of-the-art forensic technology. Designed to modernize cyber investigations, the lab is equipped with:

• CDR (Call Detail Record) Analysis Tools – Enabling granular tracking of communication history, locations, and digital footprints.

• Cellebrite and Cellebrite Premium – Industry-leading solutions for data extraction and decryption from both Android and iOS devices.

• Gargoyle Investigator MP – A robust toolkit for scanning and removing malware, spyware, and rootkits from digital storage devices.

These technologies support everything from cyber fraud investigations to digital evidence recovery, ensuring a comprehensive forensic workflow for the police.

Why These Innovations Matter: The Future of Crime Prevention

With the exponential growth of cybercrime, digital radicalization, and virtual harassment, conventional policing methods are proving inadequate. The implementation of Garud Drishti and the Cyber Lab offers a holistic response mechanism. These tools enable:

• Proactive threat neutralization

• Data-backed investigations

• Minimal manual oversight

• Faster conviction rates

Moreover, these innovations reduce the operational burden on officers by automating the early detection and risk assessment processes.

Enhanced Community Protection Through Data Intelligence

The long-term vision of the Nagpur Police with these tools is to ensure data-driven community policing. Citizens can expect:

• Greater public safety

• Reduced misinformation outbreaks

• Swift responses to digital crimes

• Transparency in digital evidence handling

The Garud Drishti initiative also acts as a deterrent to anti-social elements, who now face higher risks of detection and prosecution in the digital realm.

A Model for National Policing Standards

Nagpur’s dual-launch initiative is being hailed as a model for smart policing across India. With rising cyber threats and increased digital footprints of citizens, other cities are expected to follow suit. This marks a shift toward tech-integrated law enforcement, aligning with the national goals of Digital India and Safe India.

A New Chapter in Cyber Governance

The deployment of Garud Drishti and the launch of the Cyber Lab signify more than just technological upgrades—they represent a transformative leap in how urban law enforcement interacts with the digital ecosystem. As criminals evolve their tactics, so too must our defenses. With tools like these, Nagpur Police is not just keeping pace, but setting the pace, for the future of intelligent, efficient, and lawful policing in the 21st century.