AI tools are revolutionising the government’s crime-solving efforts, but their full potential still remains untapped.
Staqu Technologies, a Gurugram-based startup, is at the forefront of developing cutting-edge AI technologies to solve real-world problems. It has partnered with several state governments, including Uttar Pradesh and Punjab, to enhance public safety and security.
While its primary focus is supporting police and security forces, only 30-35% of its revenue comes from government contracts. A majority of the revenue is generated from the private sector, where it uses video analytics for various security and operational use cases.
This includes intrusion detection, fire detection, SOP compliance in manufacturing, retail industry analytics like tracking queue lengths, customer churn, and more.
These applications have proven to be more lucrative, even though security remains a critical and growing concern.
Every day, the company identifies over 400 criminals. Over the past six or seven years, it has identified more than 30,000 criminals. This represents a significant value proposition for the Indian ecosystem, given the high population density, which makes crime and evasion relatively easier.
While it is focused on contributing to society’s safety, generating revenue is also important since the organisation incurs significant costs, particularly on salaries for AI scientists and researchers.
How can AI Solve Crime in India?
Drug trafficking in Punjab is a significant crime for the police to crack. It’s no longer just a crime; it has become a business for many in the border areas.
For instance, in Afghanistan, one kilogram of heroin costs around INR 1 lakh, but by the time it reaches Delhi, it is worth INR 3 crore. This makes it a lucrative business, and thus, it is essential to track the individuals involved.
In an exclusive interview with AIM, Atul Rai, the co-founder & CEO at Staqu Technologies, said, “We provide a tool that analyses visual, audio, and textual data for the police. While we do not conduct the analysis ourselves, we offer a platform that the police use for their investigations.”
“Our tool allows for unstructured data analysis. Users simply input the data, and the tool processes it without needing extensive configuration. Given our experience working with the police for nearly a decade, we understand the specific needs and requirements,” Rai said.
Tools like this require a boost as the NCRB data suggests that nearly 40% of cases registered by Punjab Police in 2022 under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act were against those caught with drugs meant for personal consumption.
In Punjab, drones have been recovered and drugs seized, making it one of the top states as far as drug seizures are concerned.
Working on similar lines, Quadrant Technologies Confidential has developed NarcGuideBot, an AI-powered assistance in Narcotics Investigations. The tool is designed to help inexperienced officers in complex drug enforcement.
Further, the tool expedites form-related tasks by simplifying form access, providing accurate filling instructions, and ensuring legal compliance through error-detection systems.
Rai further mentioned that the same tool is used in other states for different issues. For example, Uttar Pradesh utilises it for organised crime and gang analysis, while Bihar uses it to address illegal liquor problems.
Despite the variations, the core functionality remains the same, providing insights into gang activities and crime patterns. The tool can identify gang members, track their crimes, and analyse their modus operandi, all through automated data extraction and analysis.
Next Stop: Karnataka
Staqu Technologies is likely to make an official announcement within the next two months regarding its operation in Karnataka. The company is active in the state, with a team of about 15 members based in the Bengaluru office.
Currently, it is working in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh’s healthcare sector, monitoring outpatient departments in hospitals and managing primary health centres and community health centres to ensure doctors are available and patients aren’t left waiting.
This data is sent to a command centre in Amaravati for analysis.
Regarding border security, its presence is established in Jammu & Kashmir, working towards addressing the challenges on the Jammu and China borders.
Globally, it is already operating in the Middle East with 20 enterprise clients and has started its journey in the US, recently closing a deal there.
Bigger Impact Calls for Bigger Team
Staqu Technologies team consists of around 100 people, with about 65-70 of them in engineering and research. The company has also partnered with IIT Delhi.
After pursuing his master’s in AI from Manchester, Atul Rai worked with the Graphene Lab that won a Nobel Prize in 2010. He returned to India in 2014 and joined Anurag Saini and Pankaj Sharma in founding the company.
In 2023, the company published five research papers, and published two in CVPR this year. It is further committed to developing its own IP and models.
“Although we may not be as well-known for securing large funding rounds, our impact in security, especially with tools like G20 and Crime GPT for police forces, has earned us recognition and a strong reputation in the field,” Rai stated.
