Modi Impulses Police Chiefs to Combat Deepfakes, Drug Networks and Digital Frauds

On Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi provided key objectives to the Directors/Inspectors General of Police, including utilizing Artificial Intelligence to address the disruptive potential of deepfakes on social and familial relationships. He also advised officers in border areas to spend nights in villages to better understand local issues, called for the dismantling of the entire narco-trafficking network, emphasized the need to upgrade crime data electronically for villages and areas, and recommended forming specialized teams to tackle digital fraud.

On the final day of the All-India Conference of Director/Inspector Generals of Police in Bhubaneswar, Modi emphasized the need to leverage technology to ease the burden on police constables and proposed that police stations be designated as the central hub for resource allocation.

In his 45-minute speech, the Prime Minister proposed a countermeasure and urged police leadership to turn the challenge into an opportunity by leveraging India’s "double AI power of Artificial Intelligence and Aspirational India". “Discussing the narco-organized crime nexus, he said all the users are also victims… strict action should be taken against the whole nexus from top to bottom and the whole nexus be dismantled,” according to a senior police officer.

India lost around Rs 11,333 crore to cyber fraud until September in 2024, according to data compiled by the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre, a division of theMHA. 

On digital frauds, the officer said, “PM Modi has asked for special teams to be made; to update the data with all the latest modus-operandi, and start giving cyber-related information to all the people during the parents-teacher meeting in schools.”

According to the officer, the Prime Minister instructed police personnel stationed in border areas to visit all villages and, together with their seniors, spend a night there to better understand the residents' issues. A statement from the Prime Minister's Office mentioned that during the meeting, “deliberations were held on emerging security concerns along the border with Bangladesh and Myanmar, trends in urban policing and strategies for countering malicious narratives.”

Acknowledging the progress made in urban policing, Modi proposed that each initiative be compiled and fully implemented across 100 cities. He also broadened the SMART policing mantra, urging the police to embody qualities of being Strategic, Meticulous, Adaptable, Reliable, and Transparent.