Development
Bihar Police's CHAKRA app puts criminal records and photo search on officers' phones
Bihar Police headquarters had districts load criminal records, with photographs, into CHAKRA, a police-only mobile app that officers search by name or by uploading a suspect's photo. Uploading began by March 2021, and by December 2021 about 2,000 officers were connected and 4.5 to 5 lakh records loaded. The police describe it as a criminal database. The AI label comes from Staqu, which says CHAKRA is its JARVIS facial-recognition platform under a Bihar name. No official figures on searches, matches or arrests have been published.
- Stage
- Operational
- Confidence
- High
- Latest news
- Sources
- 6 cited
Journey so far
The highlighted step is the current stage. Not every development passes through every step.
- Announcement only
- Agreement approved
- Agreement finalised
- Programme or pilot initiated
- Operational (current stage)
- Outcome verified
Good to know: In police use according to news reports from 2021 to 2023. There is no official usage or outcome data, and the AI component rests on the vendor's statement.
What's confirmed
5 facts backed by sources
- Bihar Police headquarters ordered all districts to upload criminal records to a mobile app named CHAKRA, and ADG (headquarters) Jitendra Kumar said in March 2021 that uploading had begun.
- In December 2021 the ADG said about five lakh records had been entered and police stations connected, and that the app was working but had not been formally launched.
- Records hold the person's photograph, offences, police station, jail history and bail details. The app is for police use only and opens with a registered official number and an OTP.
- By May 2023 Patna police were searching the app by uploading a suspect's photograph, and reporting cited cases where it revealed earlier arrests and false names.
- The app's Google Play listing describes it as an online criminal database and search technology for Bihar Police, under the package name com.staqu.pais.biharpolice.
Still to be confirmed
6 things to watch for
- Whether CHAKRA uses AI. The police and the press describe a database with name and photo search; Dainik Jagran (May 2023) says the app scans an uploaded photo. The AI facial-recognition label comes only from Staqu's account in Analytics India Magazine (August 2023). The package name points to Staqu as developer, while the police said headquarters developed the app.
- Accuracy of photo matching, and the number of searches, matches or arrests attributable to the app. No official figures exist.
- Cost. Prabhat Khabar reported Rs 1.5 crore for development and Rs 40 lakh for a server at police headquarters, as hearsay ('it is said'); no government document confirms either figure.
- A formal launch date. December 2021 reporting says the app was in use but not formally launched, and no later launch event was found.
- Whether the March 2021 plan to let the public view records was dropped. May 2023 reporting says the app is police-only.
- How records of people arrested but not convicted are kept, corrected or deleted. No data-protection notice was found.
How it unfolded (4)
Each step as a dated source records it, oldest first
- Announcement
The ADG (headquarters) said districts had begun uploading criminal records to the CHAKRA app being built on police headquarters' orders, and that it would go online once all districts' data was in.
First Bihar
- Programme initiated
Reporting said police headquarters had cleared the app, about 2,000 officers, mainly station house officers and SPs, were connected, and 4.5 to 5 lakh records had been entered; the ADG said it was working but not yet formally launched.
Prabhat Khabar · Punjab Kesari
- Operational
Patna reporting described officers uploading a suspect's photograph to CHAKRA, which scans it, and cited cases where the app exposed false identities and earlier jail records.
Dainik Jagran
- Operational
Analytics India Magazine, in an article on Staqu, reported that Staqu's JARVIS platform is used by law enforcement in several states and is called Chakra in Bihar, an account drawn from the company.
Analytics India Magazine
Sources (6)
Who reported it, when, and what they cover
| Publisher | Published | Covers | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
First Bihar Regional digital news |
| Open source (opens in a new tab) | |
Prabhat Khabar Established news |
| Open source (opens in a new tab) | |
Punjab Kesari Established news |
| Open source (opens in a new tab) | |
Dainik Jagran Established news |
| Open source (opens in a new tab) | |
Analytics India Magazine Established trade news |
| Open source (opens in a new tab) | |
Google Play listing 'CHAKRA- Bihar Police' App store listing |
| Open source (opens in a new tab) |
Record ID: BIHAR-AI-2021-03-001Dataset last checked Spotted an error? Report a correctionHow corrections work