In a significant breakthrough, police across Belagavi district have successfully traced and reunited 12 missing men and women with their families by leveraging advanced Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools, digital forensics, and social media tracking.
The special operation was carried out under the guidance of Belagavi Superintendent of Police K. Ramarajan and Additional Superintendent of Police R.B. Basargi. The effort focused on solving long-pending missing person cases, some of which had remained unresolved for several years.
The investigation was led by Women’s Police Station Inspector Netravati B. Patil, supported by a dedicated technical team. Technical staff members Sachin Patil and Vinod Thakkannavar played a key role in tracing the missing individuals by analysing digital footprints, mobile data, social media activity and AI-assisted search tools.
Police tracked the missing persons across multiple states. Several were located in Maharashtra’s Beed, Raigad and Sangli districts, while others were found in Anand district of Gujarat. Additional missing persons were traced in Goa and various parts of Karnataka, including Bengaluru, Vijayapura and Yaragatti.
After completing the required legal procedures, all 12 individuals were safely handed over to their families, bringing relief and closure to relatives who had been searching for their loved ones for years.
How AI Helps Trace Missing Persons
Belagavi Police have increasingly adopted modern technology to strengthen missing person investigations. Facial recognition software is used to compare photographs and identify individuals from available databases and CCTV footage.
Investigators also employ AI-powered age-progression technology to generate images showing how a missing person may currently appear, particularly in cases where the individual has been missing for an extended period.
In addition, police analyse social media activity, mobile phone usage, email records, digital transactions and location-based data to establish movement patterns and generate leads. The combination of AI tools and conventional investigation methods has significantly improved the chances of locating missing persons and reuniting them with their families.