Maharashtra's 'MARVEL': Police Solve Hit-And-Run Case Within 36 Hours Using AI
Authorities highlighted that while reviewing 12 hours of footage manually could take days, AI-powered MARVEL completed the analysis in as little as 12–15 minutes.
In a remarkable example of tech-aided policing, the Maharashtra Police employed artificial intelligence to solve a horrific hit-and-run case in Nagpur within just 36 hours. The incident occurred on August 9 (Raksha Bandhan), when a speeding truck struck a motorcycle, fatally injuring the pillion rider. In a distressing turn, the husband tied his wife's body to his bike and attempted to take her home, a moment captured in a video that quickly went viral.
The only clue available to investigators was that the truck bore red markings and nothing else — no make, model, or distinguishing features. Harssh Poddar, Superintendent of Police (Nagpur Rural), told NDTV that the victim provided 'very minimal information."
Faced with such scant detail, the police turned to MARVEL (Maharashtra Research and Vigilance for Enhanced Law Enforcement), the state's first AI-powered law enforcement tool. According to NDTV, the team analysed hours of CCTV footage from three toll nakas within 15–20 km of the crash site using two separate computer vision algorithms. The first algorithm filtered trucks with red markings; the second detected anomalies in average speed — signaling potential involvement.
Within minutes, they pinpointed the suspicious vehicle, which led them to track and arrest the driver 700 km away on the Gwalior–Kanpur highway.
The tool — developed collaboratively by the Maharashtra government, IIM Nagpur, and Pinaca Technologies — underscores the potential of data-driven policing. It is intended to aid in missing-person cases, fatal accidents, vehicle thefts, organized crime, and cyber fraud — not just reactive investigations but also predictive interventions.
Recent Similar AI-Aided Police Successes
In Kerala, AI helped crack a 19-year-old triple murder case. Police used digitally aged photographs of the suspects, matched them against social media, and made arrests in early 2025. In February 2006, a horrific crime in Anchal, Kerala, saw Ranjini and her 17-day-old twin daughters brutally murdered. The prime suspects, Army personnel Divil Kumar and Rajesh, fled and vanished for 19 years. In January 2025, Kerala Police used AI to digitally age their old photos, matching them with social media images, including a wedding picture. This breakthrough led to their arrest in Puducherry, where they lived under false identities. The CBI confirmed their involvement, finally closing a nearly two-decade-old case.
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