31.3.22

Maharashtra to launch criminals’ biometric database

A digital fingerprint and iris scanning system to aid police investigations with a database of 6.5 lakh people with crime records will be launched by Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday.

“Called automated multimodal biometric identification system, it is a different kind of data digitization. We have specific data on an estimated 6.5 lakh undertrials and convicts. The entire information has been validated by the bureau of fingerprint experts. It will help law enforcing agencies track criminals and that too at lightning speed,” a senior bureaucrat said.

He said five years ago, a Rs 53.6 crore proposal was approved for the AMBIS project. “We have secured fingerprint, palm print, face, and biometric data of the undertrials and convicts and the same has been incorporated in the system. As a result, it will be possible for law-enforcing agencies to quickly trace the history of a crime suspect.

The data will be made available to all police stations across the state as well as other agencies involved in the detection of crime. The task was entrusted to a private firm,” he said.

Administrative approval for the project was granted in November 2016 when Devendra Fadnavis was CM. In April 2017, a state-level committee was set up for drafting the project, and later that month a work order of Rs 53.6 crore was issued and the project’s contract was given to Smart Chip Private Ltd.

The bureaucrat said the scheme will be implemented through police stations, police units, training centres and fingerprint units and instructions have been given to IPS officers and unit heads. “We have set up high level coordination committees at the state level, commissionerates and districts for the implementation of the system. ”

As per guidelines prescribed by the state home department, a system requirement specification document has been prepared, which includes a conversion plan and system architecture design, system overview design, required definite and interface control documents.

The bureaucrat said the state has imparted training to 2,600 officers and employees on effective utilisation of the system. “We have drafted a masterplan for providing specific technology knowhow to all police stations, police units, training centres, all central prisons and fingerprint units. Data digitization has been done at four fingerprint units. The data has been validated at these units,” he said. The bureaucrat said after the high-powered committee grants a go-live certificate, the system will be put in operation.


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