'Forensics‑first approach boosts conviction rates': Karnataka DGP & IGP M A Saleem

Bengaluru: A structured training in digital forensics and cyber investigation for Karnataka state police personnel and specialist units could improve conviction rates, says M A Saleem, Director General of Police and Inspector General of Police (Head of Police Force).

In conversation with DH, Saleem stresses that augmenting training infrastructure and capacity is essential to meet the rising demand for skilled investigators.

Excerpts:

The advanced techniques used to crack the Prajwal Revanna rape case are said to have given investigations a new dimension

In the Prajwal Revanna case, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) used advanced forensic techniques to establish the identity and corroborate the survivor’s testimony. The innovative techniques used drew from international precedents. Now, the next logical step is to institutionalise such methods — develop SOPs, build in‑house expertise, standardise documentation for courts, and selectively extend similar advanced forensic approaches (digital, biological, image and pattern analysis) to other cases where establishing identity using partial or complex evidence is required.

Has the use of forensic tools become more pertinent now than ever before?

In almost every significant investigation, it is now essential to use forensic tools to uncover digital, biological and trace evidence that is not evident from the case record or the crime scene. This enables agencies to secure higher-quality convictions and provide better protection for victims. AI‑enabled cyberattacks are rising sharply against corporates and individuals, so the only effective response is parallel investment in AI‑driven monitoring, threat‑hunting and digital‑forensics capacity, and targeted use of advanced techniques.

What are the current forensic tools being used to corroborate non‑visible evidence?

Modern investigations routinely rely on digital forensics (devices, cloud, network logs), advanced biological forensics, and image/audio forensics to identify hidden evidence such as deleted files, hidden metadata, communication patterns, and minute body‑mark/trace patterns. These are crucial for reconstructing timelines, corroborating or falsifying witness versions, and meeting the evidentiary standards of courts, especially in sensitive offences like sexual crimes, cybercrime, financial fraud, and organized crime. Without systematic use of forensic tools, key leads remain buried in devices or environments, increasing acquittal risk and weakening deterrence, whereas a forensics‑first approach often turns situations into evidence‑driven cases.

What is the Karnataka State Police doing to strengthen capacity building in this regard?

In Karnataka, there is a clear shift towards structured training of police and specialist units in digital forensics, cyber investigation, Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) and scientific evidence handling, with many agencies creating dedicated cyber cells and digital forensic labs, and running regular upskilling programmes. Training typically covers seizure and preservation of electronic evidence, chain‑of‑custody, use of standard forensic suites, image/video analysis, and collaboration with forensic science labs (FSLs) and computer emergency response team (CERT)‑type bodies, as well as integration of AI tools to triage large data volumes.

How is Karnataka Police preparing to combat and counter AI‑driven cyberattacks?

Attackers are increasingly leveraging generative AI to craft highly convincing phishing and business‑email‑compromise content, generate or mutate malware, conduct large‑scale credential‑stuffing and automate reconnaissance. Technological countermeasures include deployment of AI‑ and ML‑based security platforms for anomaly detection on endpoints and networks, behaviour‑based malware detection, UEBA (user and entity behaviour analytics), and automated security orchestration, automation and response (SOAR) playbooks to respond in near real time. However, the department is yet to integrate these measures at scale.

What role does the proposed cyber command of Karnataka have in all of this?

It is envisioned to be the guardian of cyber security and cyber space in Karnataka. In addition, organizations and agencies are strengthening threat‑intelligence sharing, attack‑surface management, zero‑trust architectures, and regular red‑teaming and tabletop exercises to pre‑empt and contain AI‑enhanced threats.