Editor Mr.Mayank Rawat ( Chief Editor Mr. Rohit Mishra )
New Delhi: To ensure orderly conduct of the IPL cricket matches in the capital and to prevent any security incidents, Delhi Police are now utilising face recognition system (FRS) to detect potential troublemakers. The cops have deployed two buses equipped with FRS at the Arun Jaitley Stadium.This initiative is particularly important in the backdrop of a threat email received by the Delhi and District Cricket Association about the stadium being bombed. The heightened security measures are also a response to the ongoing tensions between India and Pakistan, which have raised concerns about potential security risks.According to police, the two FRS-equipped buses have been strategically stationed at two main entry points to the stadium. One is sited on Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg and the other on Jawaharlal Nehru Marg. These locations are important, being the busiest routes leading to the stadium. The placement of the buses ensures that security is tightly managed at these key access points.Each bus is fitted with two cameras that are connected to the FRS technology which facilitates the scanning and identification of individuals based on facial recognition. Inside the buses, four police personnel are stationed, two to continuously monitor the FRS system and raise alerts if suspects are detected and the other two to interrogate individuals flagged by the system, particularly those with criminal backgrounds.This dual approach enhances the likelihood of identifying and apprehending potential threats before they enter the stadium, a police officer said.The FRS system uses a comprehensive database that includes dossiers of known criminals in the National Crime Records Bureau as well as in the police database. This allows for swift identification and verification of individuals passing through the entry points. To further ensure the effectiveness of the system, the cops periodically send dummy officers to test the real-time functionality of the FRS buses.M. Harsha Vardhan, DCP (Central), formed several teams under Rajeev Kumar Vats, the station house officer of Indraprastha police station, to oversee the security arrangements.In addition to using FRS, plainclothes officers have been posted outside the stadium to check sale of tickets in the black. Posing as fans at the stadium, they apprehend unscrupulous elements out to make illegal money. On April 28, with an IPL match scheduled the next day, a 35-year-old man from Jharkhand was arrested for scalping and 10 tickets were recovered from his possession. A day earlier, on match day between Delhi Capitals and Royal Challengers Bengaluru, two men were caught with seven tickets.Police also dismantled betting rackets and arrested six individuals in two separate cases, recovering over Rs 20 lakh in the process.
Mayank Rawat
