As much as call detail records (CDR), feeds from surveillance cameras also helps police in cracking crimes. Coimbatore City Police solved three major crimes in the recent months going by visuals from surveillance cameras.
Robbery
In the case of the robbery of 803.8 sovereign of jewellery worth ₹ 2.27 crore from Ramanathapuram branch of Muthoottu Mini Financiers Limited in Coimbatore in April end this year, the police could figure out suspected involvement of a woman employee from a camera visual. Though the man who took away the jewellery with the aid of the woman employee had covered his face with a handkerchief, the police could track the man up to Podanur station from feeds of various surveillance cameras. A CDR analysis of the woman’s phone number later proved her link with the man who was arrested three days after the incident.
“Even though the man had covered his face with a kerchief, many could identify the suspect by seeing his physique and movement from the visuals. Though the involvement of the woman was verified within hours, we did not interrogate her or give her the feeling that she was suspected in the crime so that the robber remained confident and he did not travel away with the stolen property,” says P. Perumal, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime), who oversaw the investigation.
Two other major robberies reported this year were also solved with the aid of visuals from surveillance cameras.
In the case of the roadside robbery of 5.798 kg of jewellery worth nearly ₹ 1 crore from the agent of an air parcel agency en route Coimbatore International Airport reported in February, the police cracked the case by checking visuals from the place of the robbery near Peelamedu police station to the office of the parcel agency at Sukrawarpet. The police found that the robbers had recced the 11.5-km stretch for three days before the robbery.
Road-facing camera
In the third case, police arrested a seven-member gang that orchestrated an accident on Ramar Kovil Street in June and took away 840g jewellery from the employee of a gold smithy, with the help of visuals from a road-facing camera.