AI helps Maharashtra police solve hit-and-run case in 36 hours
What's the story
In a shocking incident, a man tied his wife's body to his bike after she was killed in a hit-and-run accident in Nagpur. The couple was riding their motorcycle on Raksha Bandhan, August 9, when a speeding truck with red markings hit them. The woman fell and was run over by the truck, which fled the scene.
Investigation hurdles
Husband could only provide minimal information
The husband could only provide minimal information about the incident. He knew that the truck had red markings, but couldn't recall its size or make. Superintendent of Police Harsh Poddar said, "The victim was able to provide very minimal information." Despite these challenges, the police were able to crack the case within 36 hours with the help of artificial intelligence (AI).
Tech intervention
AI used to analyze CCTV footage
The Nagpur Rural Police collected CCTV footage from three separate toll nakas, located 15-20km apart. They used two AI algorithms based on Computer Visual technology to analyze this footage. The first algorithm identified trucks with red markings, while the second analyzed their average speed to narrow down potential suspects. This led them to identify one truck involved in the incident.
Quick resolution
Truck seized from highway, accused arrested
The police team then seized the suspect truck from the Gwalior-Kanpur highway, around 700km from Nagpur. The accused was arrested soon after, and the case was solved in under a day and a half with AI assistance. Maharashtra has launched MARVEL (Maharashtra Research and Vigilance for Enhanced Law Enforcement), India's first state-level police AI system.
AI initiative
AI model now being adopted by other states
MARVEL was developed to implement and utilize AI within law enforcement and other government departments in Maharashtra. The system analyzes government metadata to develop homegrown AI solutions instead of relying on external sources. Poddar said several large states are now looking into this model as it speeds up investigations by analyzing terabytes of complex data within minutes, reducing human error and time taken for analysis significantly.