Nagpur: In a major step towards enhancing cyber surveillance and digital crime prevention, the Nagpur City Police formally launched “Garud Drishti,” a state-of-the-art social media monitoring and intelligence tool here, on Tuesday, May 27. The tool was introduced under the banner of CyberHack Event 2025 and is aimed at tackling the growing misuse of digital platforms in the modern era. Alongside this, the police also inaugurated a fully equipped cyber lab designed to support advanced forensic investigations.
With social media platforms increasingly being used to spread misinformation, incite violence, and promote criminal and anti-national activities, the police have recognized the urgent need for real-time monitoring tools. “Garud Drishti” is a tech-driven response to these challenges, providing keyword-based tracking on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and X (formerly Twitter). This allows law enforcement to monitor and detect criminal, violent, or terror-related content as it appears online.
One of the tool’s standout features is its ability to conduct image searches based on text cues such as “gun” or “violence,” even in posts that do not contain written text. It also uses AI to classify posts according to their political sensitivity, communal relevance, or threat level to VIPs. Daily intelligence reports will be generated and sent to respective police stations for appropriate action. The tool further includes an inbuilt reporting mechanism that enables objectionable content—such as videos, posts, or accounts—to be flagged and reported through official complaint systems aligned with social media platforms.
For legal enforcement, “Garud Drishti” supports content takedown coordination in line with Section 79 of the Information Technology Act. It also facilitates collaboration with the State Intelligence Department under Section 69 of the Act for decryption and national security purposes. Official logs of flagged activities will be maintained to support future legal proceedings. Another major feature of the tool is its AI-powered facial recognition system, which can identify suspects from public images and videos circulating on social media. This is expected to significantly enhance the efficiency and speed of criminal investigations.
The initiative is fully compliant with relevant legal provisions, including Sections 79 and 69 of the IT Act, and applicable sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita such as 196, 299, and 353, which deal with criminal investigations. The benefits of “Garud Drishti” include preventive policing through early identification of threats, streamlined investigations via facial recognition and content tracking, reduced dependence on manual monitoring, and data-driven decision-making based on generated intelligence.
In addition to the launch of “Garud Drishti,” the Nagpur City Police also inaugurated a new cyber lab equipped with cutting-edge tools for digital forensics. These include a Call Detail Record (CDR) Analysis Tool to examine call patterns, social networks, and location data; Cellebrite Software Suite with UFED and Physical Analyzer for retrieving mobile phone data; Gargoyle Investigator MP for detecting malware and unauthorized software on computers; and Cellebrite Premium for unlocking and analyzing data from both iOS and Android devices.
The dual launch of “Garud Drishti” and the Cyber Lab marks a transformative move by the Nagpur Police towards smarter, tech-enabled law enforcement. These innovations are expected to play a crucial role in enhancing public safety, combating digital threats, and ensuring more effective crime control in the digital age.
