The city of Nagpur has firmly established itself as the nerve centre for artificial intelligence-driven policing in Maharashtra this year. A series of groundbreaking initiatives have fundamentally reshaped law enforcement strategies for both the urban and rural areas of the district, setting a new national standard for smart policing.
AI Nirikshak: The Intelligent Crowd Management Sentinel
In a significant move in December, the Nagpur City Police launched AI Nirikshak, India's first AI-based system for managing crowds, on a pilot basis. The launch was strategically timed for the winter session of the state legislature. This innovative platform is built on Microsoft Azure and was developed in collaboration with Click2Cloud.
The system's power lies in its integration of multiple data streams. It seamlessly combines feeds from CCTV cameras and drones, applying real-time video analytics to the footage. Key features of AI Nirikshak include:
- Heat mapping to visualise crowd density.
- Facial recognition capabilities to identify suspects.
- Automated alerts for potential overcrowding situations.
- An AI chatbot that provides instant access to critical police databases for officers on the ground.
Police officials believe this technology can prevent incidents like the Mahal episode in March, where hundreds of people attempted to take the law into their own hands. While many arrests were made following that event, a lack of concrete evidence led to most accused securing bail. The facial recognition feature of the AI system is designed to eliminate such grey areas by providing definitive proof.
The platform's effectiveness was demonstrated during the winter session, where it successfully flagged 58 suspicious objects, two unauthorised vehicles, and 389 instances of overcrowding, allowing police to intervene swiftly. Commissioner of Police Ravinder Kumar Singal praised the system as a crucial step toward positioning Maharashtra as a leader in AI-powered public safety, with plans already underway to scale it across the state.
The Marvel Initiative: An AI Copilot for Rural Investigations
While the city adopted AI for crowd management, Nagpur's rural police jurisdiction pioneered the use of AI in criminal investigations through the Marvel platform (Maharashtra Advanced Research and Vigilance for Enforcement of Reformed Laws). Its flagship tool, MahaCrimeOS AI, has been deployed since April 2025 across 23 rural police stations, acting as an intelligent assistant for cybercrime probes.
This tool is designed to handle the complexities of modern investigations. It can process complaints submitted in any format or language, automate routine workflow tasks, and generate customised investigation plans for officers, significantly speeding up the initial stages of a case.
Statewide Expansion and the Future of Policing
The success of these Nagpur-based pilots has led to a major statewide announcement. In December, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, along with Microsoft, declared the rollout of the Marvel system to all 1,100 police stations in Maharashtra. Senior officials emphasised that the future of law enforcement is inextricably linked to technology, both in preventing crimes and detecting them, while also stressing the ethical use of AI to support, not replace, human judgement.
Together, the AI Nirikshak and Marvel initiatives mark a paradigm shift for Nagpur. They enable proactive crime prevention, accelerate detection rates, and ensure more efficient deployment of police resources. This dual urban-rural model of AI integration is now serving as a national benchmark for intelligent, citizen-focused law enforcement.
