Thanks to CCTV cameras and the power of artificial intelligence, 100 criminals, including pickpockets, chain snatchers, housebreakers, and other serious offenders who visited the Lalbaugcha Raja pandal have been arrested. The Mumbai police had prepared a database of 10,000 criminals and used AI tools to identify them. Due to these measures, no chain-snatching incidents were reported inside Lalbaugcha Raja pandal this year, while only five mobile phones were stolen during the 10 days of the festival, of which three have been recovered.
This year, the Lalbaugcha Raja Mandal installed 300 cameras around its pandal. DCP R Ragsudha, who led the surveillance operation, told mid-day, “This year, we used AI tools to identify offenders inside the Lalbaugcha Raja pandal during the 10 days. We used specific cameras at the entry and exit points from Garamkhada Maidan to the idol, and at other locations. We prepared data of 10,000 criminals with records of serious offences like chain-snatching and pickpocketing. The database was integrated with AI tools and linked to select cameras.”
“Once an accused entered through the main gate, we received an alert with all their details and criminal records via the AI tool. We then alerted our staff inside the pandal, who kept watch until the accused exited the spot after darshan. With the help of AI tools, we captured nearly 100 people from the database of 10,000. Some of them had stolen five mobile phones, and we recovered three of those,” DCP R Ragsudha said.
She added, “These AI tools also helped us monitor crowd movement. On some days, half of Garamkhada Maidan was empty while inside it was overcrowded, so we deployed more officers accordingly. The system also showed that devotees took around 15 to 20 minutes to reach the idol from the maidan. This helped us manage the crowd flow effectively.”
Astronomical figures
In 10 days, a total of 25 lakh devotees took darshan at the Lalbaugcha Raja pandal. The AI tool tracked around 25,000 devotees from the Maratha community who visited for darshan on August 27. On this day, the largest crowd was recorded at the pandal.
