Bengaluru’s Safe City AI has proven to be the police’s new and increasingly indispensable crime-fighting partner, helping officers track suspects within minutes and uncover inter-state criminal trails with remarkable precision.
Published Nov 18, 2025 | 12:48 PM ⚊ Updated Nov 18, 2025 | 12:48 PM
AI-powered Safe City Network in Bengaluru. Representative Image. (iStock)
Synopsis: A vast web of high-resolution CCTV, ANPR cameras, AI video analytics, and real-time alerting systems is quietly transforming policing in Bengaluru. These tools are now pivotal in solving crimes ranging from murder and chain-snatching to duplicate-plate scams and car theft.
Across Bengaluru, a vast web of high-resolution CCTV, ANPR cameras, AI video analytics, and real-time alerting systems is quietly transforming policing. Once operating behind the scenes, these tools are now pivotal in solving crimes ranging from murder and chain-snatching to duplicate-plate scams and car theft.
In case after case, Bengaluru’s Safe City AI has proven to be the police’s new and increasingly indispensable crime-fighting partner, helping officers track suspects within minutes and uncover inter-state criminal trails with remarkable precision.
They highlighted the instances when the new system helped the force successfully nab the accused, including in inter-state crimes.
According to information from the Bengaluru city police, on the morning of 5 November at around 9.53 am, a resident near an apartment in Chikkabanahalli, Kadugodi, noticed a person talking on the phone about narcotic substances and immediately informed the ‘Namma 112’ helpline.
The police stated that the AI and ML-based 112 Control Room registered the information and alerted the ‘Hoysala-233’ patrol vehicle attached to the Kadugodi Police Station. The patrol vehicle was dispatched at 9.55 am, and within 16 minutes, police personnel reached the spot and detained a foreign national. They recovered 361 ecstasy tablets worth ₹8 lakh from his possession.
On 11 November, police state that around 9.35 am, a resident in the Halasur Gate Police Station limits noticed an abandoned infant and immediately called ‘Namma 112.’
The Integrated Command and Control Centre (ICCC), using AI and ML algorithms, analysed the surveillance footage and relayed the information to Hoysala-26 under the jurisdiction of Halasur Gate Police Station.
Within 14 minutes, police personnel were on the spot, rescued the abandoned infant and admitted the baby to Vani Vilas hospital. Police are currently reviewing CCTV footage using AI-assisted video analytics to identify the person responsible for abandoning the child.
When it comes to busting inter-state crimes, the Bengaluru Safe City Project has emerged as a silent guardian in detecting several serious crimes across Maharashtra, Mysuru, Telangana, and Kerala.
The police state that when Maharashtra police were investigating a horrifying murder case, the only clues they had were just three vehicle numbers. The breakthrough came from Bengaluru’s vast CCTV network. Historical data revealed that these three vehicles had passed through eight monitored locations.
With this data, real-time tracking was activated at major junctions in the city. Through continuous live monitoring, Bengaluru City Police and Maharashtra Police apprehended four suspects along with the three vehicles.
Senior officers termed this AI-enabled CCTV-ANPR system a true “accelerator of justice.”
In another instance, Telangana police were on the hunt for an accused involved in fraudulent activities using fake number plates on two-wheelers. The police state that the ANPR system revealed that the same number plate was being used on two motorcycles at separate city locations. Telangana Police then successfully arrested the accused in Bengaluru.
The Kerala police also had luck in solving a case in the city. In a car-theft case being investigated by the Kerala Police, the AI-based ANPR system provided crucial assistance.
Police in Bengaluru state that the stolen car was detected at two different locations in the city, and ANPR data confirmed the vehicle was moving towards Mysuru. Using this intelligence, Kerala Police were successful in tracking and arresting the suspect.
(Edited by Muhammed Fazil.)
