How Law Enforcement Is Using AI To Solve Crimes

AI has gone far beyond just generating text or images. Increasingly, it is helping law enforcement agencies investigate crimes, analyse evidence, identify suspects and even predict criminal activity.

From scanning millions of digital records in minutes to enhancing blurry CCTV footage and mapping criminal networks, AI is becoming an important investigative tool for police and security agencies across the world.

Recently, digital forensics company Exterro told Axios that the FBI used its platform during the frantic 48 hours between the attempted assassination of US President Donald Trump at the White House Correspondents' Dinner and criminal charges being filed against suspect Cole Tomas Allen.

Like most companies that work with law enforcement agencies, Exterro operates under strict non-disclosure agreements (NDAs), meaning it could not reveal exactly how the FBI used its software. However, company executives told Axios that investigators typically use the platform to sift through massive volumes of digital evidence-including messages from seized devices, social media accounts and other online trails linked to a case.

Exterro is one of several companies globally-including in India-that now provide AI-powered investigative tools to police forces, intelligence agencies and the armed forces.

An Explosion Of Digital Evidence

According to Amsterdam-based Sensity AI, one of the biggest reasons law enforcement is adopting AI is the sheer volume of digital evidence investigators must process today.

Sensity works with law enforcement agencies and forensic laboratories across several Indian states as well as internationally.
"So once upon a time, investigations would have been carried out by forensic specialists, which is still true," Sensity Threat Researcher James Middleton told NDTV.

"But because of the volume of evidence that now needs to be analysed, investigations have increasingly become part of routine policing. More police officers-not just forensic experts-are now carrying out digital investigations."

He said AI-powered tools are designed to simplify complex forensic workflows.

"These aren't forensically trained people, so they need access to tools that are intuitive and very easy to use. You don't have to spend years learning them like forensic analysts do."

Narrowing The Leads

Indian cybersecurity and AI company Innefu Labs supplies investigative platforms to several state police forces, paramilitary organisations and central security agencies, including Delhi Police, Chandigarh Police, Gujarat Police, the BSF and the CRPF.
Tarun Wig, co-founder of the Delhi-based company, explained how AI can dramatically reduce the amount of manual investigation required.

"We have a population of 2 crore people and a police force of around 1,04,000. There is no way 1,04,000 personnel can monitor 2 crore people."

"AI helps narrow the field of suspects from 2 crore people to around six or seven lakh repeat offenders, allowing investigators to focus their attention where it matters most."

Beyond identifying potential suspects, AI systems can also guide investigators through standard operating procedures, reminding officers to complete required investigative steps, organise evidence and prepare charge sheets that are more likely to withstand scrutiny in court.

Innefu also develops revenue intelligence systems. According to Wig, its AI tools have helped identify fraudulent GST claims worth nearly Rs 5,700 crore.

AI Is Already Being Used Across India

Several Indian law enforcement agencies have already integrated AI into their investigative workflows. Delhi Police use Automated Facial Recognition Systems (AFRS) and AI-enabled smart glasses to identify suspects in crowded public spaces.
AI algorithms are also being used to reconstruct faces from unidentified human remains and age-progress photographs of absconding suspects. One such reconstruction reportedly helped Kerala Police solve a 19-year-old cold case.

State police departments are also deploying specialised AI assistants. Uttar Pradesh Police's Crime GPT helps officers quickly retrieve gang profiles, search criminal records and match voice samples. Maharashtra Police use MahaCrimeOS AI-developed in collaboration with Microsoft-to accelerate cybercrime investigations.

Meanwhile, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has deployed an AI-powered Organised Crime Network Database (OCND), which maps relationships between criminals using information collected from multiple state databases.

Investigators are also increasingly relying on AI-enhanced video forensics platforms such as AMPED FIVE to improve poor-quality CCTV footage, detect deepfakes and assist with facial recognition.

The Challenges

While AI can dramatically speed up investigations, experts have also raised concerns about privacy, surveillance and algorithmic bias.

Civil liberties groups have repeatedly warned that facial recognition systems can produce false matches, particularly if the underlying datasets are inaccurate or biased. Privacy advocates have also questioned how long investigative data should be retained and whether sufficient safeguards exist to prevent misuse.

As AI becomes more deeply integrated into policing, governments around the world are increasingly being challenged to balance faster investigations with transparency, accountability and the protection of individual rights.