Latehar police uploaded fingerprints of 217 accused persons to the National Automated Fingerprint Identification System (NAFIS) between July and September, securing five matches through the national database, officials said on Thursday.
Superintendent of Police Kumar Gaurav said the district uploaded 70 fingerprints in July, 68 in August and 79 in September. The fingerprints were primarily collected from people accused in cases registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act and theft cases.
The five successful matches identified links through the fingerprint system during the three-month period, according to the police. Officials said the results demonstrated the use of a centralised identification platform in investigations handled at the district level.
NAFIS was developed by the Ministry of Home Affairs and is managed by the National Crime Records Bureau. The system allows police forces across India to access a digital repository of fingerprint records and compare prints collected during investigations with records held elsewhere in the country.
Under legal provisions, police can obtain fingerprints, including thumb impressions, from arrested persons for identification and investigation purposes. This gives investigators a digital method to check whether an accused person may be linked to previous cases, including cases registered outside the district or state.
Gaurav said police officers had been directed to increase the use of fingerprint-based identification. He said the system could help track repeat offenders, establish links with previous offences and strengthen criminal investigations.
The Latehar figures also point to the operational role of district police in expanding the usefulness of a national database. A central repository becomes more effective as local police units consistently collect, digitise and upload usable fingerprint records. The process, however, depends on the quality of prints collected and the completeness of records available for comparison.
Police sources said NAFIS already contained more than one crore fingerprint records nationwide. The database is therefore being used not only as a local investigation tool but also as an information link between police units dealing with cases across different jurisdictions.
Latehar police have not disclosed the details of the five matches or the subsequent status of the investigations. The district police direction is to continue wider use of fingerprint-based identification in relevant cases.
