Home Ministry Directs States To Use Facial Recognition And Cyber Tracking Against Human Trafficking

The Union Ministry of Home Affairs has directed all states and union territories to deploy facial recognition, cyber surveillance, and real-time alerts to spot trafficking victims and track suspects. Officials issued the detailed advisory to chief secretaries and state police chiefs following the rollout of three new criminal laws last year. The guidelines instruct police forces to apply section 111 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, which deals with organised crime, to dismantle major trafficking rings rather than only arresting low-level workers. States must use the National Automated Facial Recognition System to match rescued people and unidentified children with the Mission Vatsalya portal. Police departments are also told to improve cyber patrolling to spot grooming tactics on social media and fake job ads on recruitment websites. Agencies should rely on the Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and Systems along with the Cri-MAC platform to map high-risk travel routes and trafficking hotspots. For complex cases crossing state lines, the ministry advised forming joint investigation teams to share evidence and resources. The advisory highlights the rise of overseas job scams that trick people with promises of high salaries, urging state cyber cells to monitor online job portals and social media networks closely.