Chennai: Cops use AI tool to nab absconder

CHENNAI: Utilising Artificial Intelligence technology, the Serious Crime Squad (SCS) of the Chennai City Police traced and arrested a 39-year-old history sheeter who had been absconding for nearly 19 years following his arrest in a murder case.

The arrested person was identified as Sheik Abdullah. Abdullah was among five persons arrested and remanded in connection with the murder of Pandiyamani under the Tiruvottiyur police limits in 2007. After securing bail, he stopped appearing before the magistrate for trial, leading to a non-bailable warrant (NBW) being issued against him in 2010.

During a recent review of pending cases, top police officials directed personnel to execute long-pending warrants, after which the SCS team was assigned the case.

Since traditional investigative methods and questioning in his former neighbourhood in Tiruvottiyur yielded no results, the police team turned to technology. Using a 2007 photograph of the suspect, they applied an AI-enabled age progression tool to enhance and predict his present-day appearance. The police then circulated these updated images through their network to trace and secure Abdullah.

Probes revealed that Abdullah had frequently shifted residences after jumping bail, worked at a private company, and got married. He was eventually traced to the Tirumullaivoyal area, where officers secured him on September 15. He was handed over to the Tiruvottiyur police and produced before the court, which remanded him in judicial custody.