Rail Robocop helps nab two habitual offenders at Visakhapatnam station

The Rail Robocop ASC Arjun, billed as the first of its kind in Indian Railways, has proved its effectiveness within less than two weeks of its launch by assisting the Railway Protection Force in apprehending two hardcore habitual offenders at Visakhapatnam Railway Station a few days ago.

The robocop, deployed for surveillance and patrolling, detected the suspects as they entered the railway station around 8 p.m. on February 2 by matching their facial images with a pre-loaded database of known criminals. The system immediately alerted the RPF CCTV Control Room at the station.

On receiving the alert, on-duty CCTV Head Constable B. S. Narayana analysed the live CCTV feed and promptly informed Sub Inspector V. Keerthi Reddy and the Crime Duty Prevention Detention Squad team of Waltair Division, who were present at the station.

Acting swiftly, the team conducted a coordinated check and apprehended the accused, identified as Hadapa Shiva, 39, and his associate B. Bhangaur.

The accused failed to produce valid journey tickets. Subsequent verification of their antecedents by the RPF revealed that both were habitual offenders with criminal cases registered at Rayagada Police Station, involving offences such as theft, robbery, dacoity, assault and arms-related cases over the past several years.

As the accused were found travelling without tickets, they were booked under the provisions of the Indian Railways Act, 1989, as amended in 2003. The matter was also intimated to Rayagada Police for further action.

The humanoid robot has been deployed as part of the RPF’s modernisation and digital transformation initiatives to supplement railway operations, particularly in the areas of security, passenger assistance, crowd management and safety awareness among rail users.

It may be recalled that the robocop, designed and developed in Visakhapatnam using indigenous, state-of-the-art technology, was unveiled on January 22 by RPF Inspector General Alok Bohra and Divisional Railway Manager Lalit Bohra.

Mr. Lalit Bohra said the arrest marked the successful real-time identification and apprehension of habitual offenders in a crowded public place with the help of the Rail Robocop, demonstrating the effectiveness of AI-powered surveillance and facial recognition technology in strengthening railway security.

“The feeding of data pertaining to offenders is helping the robocop in quick identification of suspects. Rail users are also listening keenly and paying attention to the passenger safety warnings issued by the AI-enabled robocop,” said RPF Sub Inspector V. Keerthi Reddy.