AI to tackle crime in Maharashtra, here's how

Moving a step closer to using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to tackle crime in Maharashtra, a Government Resolution (GR) issued this month permitted the sharing of police data with the company, a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) formed recently and named Maharashtra Advanced Research and Vigilance for Enhanced Law Enforcement (MARVEL).

The officials say that Maharashtra is the first state in the country to create such an independent entity for law enforcement or to tackle crimes using AI. The initiative represents a significant step towards modernising the state's approach to crime prevention and by harnessing the power of artificial intelligence the state government aims to provide the police force with advanced tools for better and modernised policing, setting a new standard for AI-driven law enforcement solutions.

The hi-tech initiative was formed in collaboration with IIM-Nagpur and a private company, Pinaka Technologies Pvt Ltd, via a tripartite agreement.

It will have integrated artificial intelligence to quickly solve a variety of crimes, including the rapidly growing financial and cybercrimes. In cybercrime cases or case investigations, it would be used to understand behavioural analysis, digital forensics, and pattern recognition.

AI will help police officials in court cases and prosecution by helping with case studies, legal research, evidence management, and strategy development. Artificial Intelligence will enhance statistics and analytics by facilitating trend forecasting, temporal and spatial analysis, and resource allocation optimisation.

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The state government had recently approved the AI-driven centre to tackle crimes in the state and had officially stated that the said SPV shall be registered as a private limited company with 100 percent share capital of the Government, owned by the Government, under the name MARVEL.

"The Superintendent of Police, Nagpur (Rural), will be the ex-officio Director and Chief Executive Officer of the said Company and will work directly under the Government (Home Department). The Director, Indian Institute of Management, Nagpur, shall be the ex-officio Director of the said Company and the other Directors of the Company shall be nominated by the Government. Accordingly, administrative approval has been given for setting up of the said SPV," a GR issued in March stated.

On March 22, 2024, a tripartite agreement was signed between the Maharashtra government, the Indian Institute of Management Nagpur, and Pinaka Technologies Private Limited to establish 'MARVEL'.

According to Cyber experts, Artificial Intelligence utilises vast amounts of data to train digital computers. This is not just required for predictive analysis, but it can also offer answers for which a human being might be required.

They say that the AI is the need of the hour, it can incorporate huge amounts of data that can be further used to identify the repeat offenders.

"The Maharashtra government's initiative to launch MARVEL is a commendable step towards leveraging AI for public safety and crime detection and prevention. It's crucial, however, to ensure that this powerful tool is used responsibly. Safeguarding citizens' privacy and preventing algorithmic biases are paramount. We need AI to combat the potential misuse of AI," cybercrime investigator and founder of V4WEB Cybersecurity Ritesh Bhatia told mid-day.com.

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He added, "This initiative is a promising start, but it's essential to establish robust safeguards from the outset. Privacy and security of this platform should be at the core and by default."

The incorporation of artificial intelligence (AI) into law enforcement is anticipated to enhance efforts toward prevention and crime resolution by enabling the ability to analyse data and replicate human cognitive functions.

An official said, "AI algorithms can be used to analyse, visualise and alert on critical entities for crimes including cyber frauds. It can generate and store huge amounts of data that could enable the authorities to take timely action. By assisting in the data's interpretation, the AI algorithms will help resolve situations involving financial and cybercrime cases. Predicting probable crime hotspots and regions vulnerable to disruptions in law and order can be aided by the analysis of existing data."

Experts believe that highly personalised phishing emails can be automatically created by AI systems, which increases their convincingness. In addition to quickly analysing enormous volumes of data to find security system flaws, AI techniques also allow hackers to take advantage of these holes before they are fixed.

The latest technology's introduction into the police force aims to leverage AI technology to improve crime prevention and enforcement capabilities.

According to a recent government notification, "MARVEL has been established under the purview of the Maharashtra Home Department. The initiative involves the integration of advanced AI tools to analyse data in real-time, facilitating more accurate crime predictions and faster responses to incidents," the official said.

Large-scale cyber frauds, including credential stuffing, in which many accounts are unauthorisedly accessed using stolen usernames and passwords, can be carried out by AI-driven bots. Cybercriminals can utilise AI as a strong tool to continuously develop their strategies and avoid detection because of its ability to learn and adapt and that is when the counter AI tool with police becomes essential to curb such crimes. By using these technologies, trends in cyber frauds may be found and analysed and even cyber-attacks can be stopped before they cause significant damage, the experts say.