Delhi Police use facial recognition system to identify over 2,800 criminals present at protest

Police personnel move past Ikshana, a mobile surveillance van, parked at the Jantar Mantar protest site last week. | Photo Credit: Reuters Delhi Police has identified as many as 2,873 people with previous criminal records who were present at the Jantar Mantar protests, official sources said on Monday.According to the sources, the police exercise relied on facial recognition systems installed at and around the protest venue. The AI-enabled system compares live CCTV footage with existing criminal databases and dossier records maintained by different district police units and law enforcement agencies.The verification exercise comes following the crackdown on protesters during the Cockroach Janta Party’s march to Parliament on July 20.At least 989 individuals have been previously involved in heinous crimes, 101 in murder, 62 in attempt to murder and 284 in robbery, police sources said, adding that at least 61 people were earlier involved in cases of rape, six were booked under provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act and 25 others for molestation.They said the initiative was aimed at identifying people with previous criminal involvement and assessing the nature of individuals participating in or moving around the protest site.The police, however, have not given any clarification on queries related to protesters being harassed at the site allegedly by their personnel, including those in plainclothes and not wearing name tags and some who allegedly harassed women during the march to Parliament.“The analysis showed that among the 101 people linked to murder cases, 42 were involved in two or more criminal cases, while 12 have criminal histories involving 10 or more cases, suggesting repeated involvement in serious offences,” a senior officer said.The findings would form part of the overall investigation into the violence witnessed during the protest and would be used to identify individuals requiring further verification.‘Repeat offenders’“The criminal history indicates that they are habitual offenders, having been involved in multiple criminal cases,” the officer added.Similarly, 155 of the 284 accused in dacoity and robbery cases had multiple criminal cases against them, including 31 who had been booked in 10 or more cases. Published - July 28, 2026 12:49 am IST