Ahmedabad Police to link ‘Pinac’ criminal tracking software into a mobile app

In a move to strengthen field-level policing through integrated technology, the Ahmedabad Police is developing a new mobile application, which will be linked with its long-standing crime tracking software Pinac. This integration aims to enable real-time identification of criminals during routine patrolling, surprise checks, and other law enforcement operations.

The Pinac system—short for Police Information and Criminal Analysis—was first introduced in Ahmedabad in 2012 and has since been expanded to other cities across Gujarat. Originally, the software was developed and designed to help officers track criminals, access vehicle-related information, and analyse criminal networks and patterns. Over the years, Pinac has become a vital investigative tool for the force.

While the software has been in use for over a decade, the Ahmedabad Police recently tested a new facial recognition feature integrated into Pinac during the Jagannath Rath Yatra 2025 in Ahmedabad. The feature was deployed along the yatra route, scanning live CCTV footage to match faces against the criminal database and also the beta version of the application access was given to 700 police personnel during the rathyatra for testing . 

Around 100 persons of interest were identified during the event and flagged for ground-level verification. 

“The Pinac software has been instrumental in helping us detect and prevent crime. What we tested during the rathyatra was the facial recognition module, which worked well in identifying suspects in real time.

“During which the system was able to identify around 100 people, who had prior criminal records, no one was nabbed during the event as none of them had any live cases going on, but we had alerted the ground deployed staff regarding the suspects and they were put on close watch,” said a senior police officer involved in the trial. 

The proposed app will act as a mobile interface for Pinac, giving selected field-level police personnel in Ahmedabad direct access to data related to known criminals. The app is being developed in-house by the Ahmedabad Crime Branch and is expected to operate both online and offline, ensuring usability in low-network areas.

“The integration of Pinac will provide frontline officers with immediate access to data, enabling quick identification of suspects based on facial matches, vehicle details, and criminal history,” the official added.

The current database linked to Pinac includes detailed records of criminals operating in Ahmedabad, and efforts are underway to expand this to cover individuals with inter-district and inter-state criminal links.

Right now the application software part has been successfully tested with the limited hardware available. To run the application full-fledged, the officials will require high configuration hardware worth ₹15 lakh, for which Ahmedabad Police is awaiting approval for funds.