Chennai police now have a smart way to track lockdown violators

In a bid to keep a close watch on those violating lockdown and roaming unnecessary, Chennai police are using an app, Eye Tracker, where there will use information such as a person's Aadhaar or Driving License and see how many times they are going out and if there are proper reasons for doing so.

“The police personnel will scan the driving licence or Aadhaar card using the app. If the motorist does not have either, his mobile number will be entered along with the purpose of travel,” said Shekhar Deshmukh, deputy commissioner, Mylapore.

The details are then stored on to a server. “This will have the travel history of the motorists. Some people give different reasons at different check points and roam around. But with this application, the policemen can identify them easily,” said another senior police officer.

Vehicles of those frequently seen loitering would be seized. “On the first day there were some glitches and in some places the police had to enter the details manually,” explained the officer.

Officers doing this also explained that they felt safe since the details are collected from a distance. “We can maintain a safe distance and scan the documents,” said a constable.

As of now, Chennai police have formed 150 checkpoints to monitor people movement. In the last one month alone, more than 34,000 cases were filed against those violating the prohibitory orders and more than 20,000 vehicles were seized.