Residents of Ghazipur, Jaunpur and Chandauli districts can now confidentially report illegal activities such as cow smuggling, liquor trafficking and illegal arms trade to name a few through a WhatsApp bot titled ‘Police Satark Mitra’, launched by Uttar Pradesh Police, Varanasi range, on Saturday.
Deputy inspector general of police (Varanasi range) Vaibhav Krishna said the initiative was introduced to encourage public participation in policing while ensuring complete confidentiality of informers. Citizens can share information by sending a WhatsApp message to 7839860411 or by scanning the QR code linked to the bot.
“If any citizen receives information about or witnesses illegal activities in Jaunpur, Ghazipur or Chandauli, they can report it confidentially through the ‘Police Satark Mitra’ WhatsApp bot. The identity and mobile number of the informer will not be visible to the police,” Krishna said.
He explained that the bot is designed to guide users step by step. “Once a message such as ‘Hi’ is sent, the system prompts the user to select a language and then collects details related to the reported offence through multiple options,” Krishna said.
Other activities that can be reported include narcotics and illicit liquor trade, gambling, prostitution, women and child trafficking, illegal spas, illegal mining, extortion, police corruption and forced religious conversion.
{{/usCountry}}Other activities that can be reported include narcotics and illicit liquor trade, gambling, prostitution, women and child trafficking, illegal spas, illegal mining, extortion, police corruption and forced religious conversion.
{{/usCountry}}All information received through the bot will be directly accessible to the office of the superintendent of police of the district concerned as well as the DIG, Varanasi range, Krishna said. The information will be forwarded to designated officers for verification and action, and feedback on action taken will be shared through photos, videos or messages. An automated response will also be sent to the informer once action is initiated.
Cap: The QR code for Police Satark Mitra WhatsApp bot