translated from Hindi

अमित शाह ने लॉन्च किया नया ऐप, सड़क पर फिंगरप्रिंट स्कैन कर लोगों का रिकॉर्ड जांच सकेगी पुलिस

The launch of the Abhigyan app promises faster, field-level biometric identification for police, while raising unresolved legal questions about random fingerprint checks of ordinary citizens.

The Wire Hindi · By द वायर स्टाफ · 21 June 2026 · read the original in Hindi →

New Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday (June 19, 2026) launched a new mobile app, “Abhigyan,” through which police and investigative agencies will now be able to take a person’s thumb or fingerprints on the spot and check their criminal record. The app is linked to a national database containing about 13 million fingerprint records from across the country.

According to a report in The Hindu, the app has been developed by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB). It has been linked to the National Automated Fingerprint Identification System (NAFIS), which stores the fingerprints of accused persons, convicted offenders, and people lodged in prisons.

A press release issued by the government said the mobile app will allow police personnel to access the national fingerprint database from any location through certified fingerprint scanners. This will make it possible to establish a person’s identity and check their criminal history on the spot.

During the app’s demonstration, it was stated that matching a fingerprint scan against the NAFIS database takes about 35 seconds.

It was also explained that during routine vehicle checks on the road, if a person appears suspicious, a biometric scan can be taken to determine whether they are wanted in any case. Within a few seconds, their criminal record can be retrieved. Officials claim this will also provide safety to police personnel, since they will know in advance whether the person standing before them is a serious offender.

Amit Shah said the app would help strengthen policing at the ground level.

He said, “The ‘Abhigyan’ app developed by the NCRB is a portable version of NAFIS. It contains more than 13 million fingerprint records, and police personnel will now be able to access this vast criminal database directly from their smartphones.”

According to Shah, the app, secured by two-step authentication, is capable of identifying fingerprints within seconds. He described it as an extremely powerful tool equipped with features such as “Fast ID,” a portable system, and access to crores of records.

However, legal questions are also being raised about the app. An NCRB official told The Hindu that the legal basis for such biometric verification lies in the Criminal Procedure (Identification) Act, 2022. But Section 3 of the same law also makes clear that fingerprints and other identifying information may be taken mandatorily only from those who have been arrested, convicted of an offence, or ordered to furnish security for maintaining peace or good behaviour.

Nowhere does the law expressly mention random biometric checks of ordinary people in the absence of any concrete suspicion linked to an offence.

Amit Shah also said the country currently has about 12.9 million fingerprint records. In addition, data on about 991,000 offenders linked to narcotics trafficking, information on 365,000 human-trafficking cases, and extensive prison-related records are also available.

The home minister said this entire body of data is an important national asset for the country. The challenge now is for all institutions connected with the criminal justice system to learn to use this data effectively and to turn it not merely into records, but into a practical capacity for crime control.

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