PUNE: The Railway Protection Force (RPF) has deployed an AI-enabled CCTV surveillance system at Pune railway station that can identify known criminals within 90 seconds of their entering the premises.
Event Context
The system is linked to an RPF database of over 1,000 history-sheeters and habitual offenders. Once a listed criminal is detected, alerts are sent to RPF personnel and the control room for immediate action. It is also integrated with intelligence inputs from the Intelligence Bureau (IB) and Pune police to track other wanted persons.
Pune station, one of Central Railway’s busiest, handles nearly 1.7 lakh passengers and about 250 trains daily, including around 170 that originate or terminate here.
Railway officials said around 160 CCTV cameras have been installed across the station, several equipped with facial recognition technology. The AI system can also detect overcrowding, unattended baggage and suspicious objects, besides tracing people based on clothing colour and other visual characteristics. If crowd density exceeds normal levels by over 30%, it alerts the control room to help prevent safety risks.
Player Focus
“Pune railway station has been equipped with a modern AI-based CCTV surveillance system to enhance passenger safety. Some of these cameras are integrated with facial recognition technology and linked to a database of known criminals. Information on habitual offenders has already been uploaded, while additional data is being updated. The system will assist security agencies in identifying suspects quickly and strengthening overall security at the station,” said Priyanka Sharma, senior divisional security commissioner, Railway Protection Force (RPF), Pune Division.
Match Outlook
The CCTV network complies with Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) and Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology norms. Officials said it is expected to improve crime detection, passenger safety and emergency response.
