BENGALURU: Footage from CCTV cameras installed at journalist Gauri Lankesh’s residence is one of the crucial pieces of information that investigating officers are relying on to nab her assailants. Senior police officers feel that integrating CCTVs across the city may help in cracking such cases.
It is not practically possible for police or civic agencies to install CCTV cameras on each of the 93,000 roads in the city with an area of 800 sqkm.
In the Gauri Lankesh killing, the city police have collected footage from 38 CCTV cameras placed at various locations -- from Gauri’s newspaper office in Gandhi Bazaar to her residence in Rajarajeshwari Nagar. Retired Assistant Commissioner of Police Ashok Kumar said CCTV footage will play an important role in the case. “The investigating team should check footage of the preceding few days, and not just footage from the day she was killed. It could yield clues on suspicious persons who might have followed her car often,’’ he said.
Referring to RSS worker Rudresh’s death in October 2016, Ashok Kumar said, “Though the assailant’s face was not clear in the footage, one could make out he was limping and was big built. This narrowed down the search and the culprit was nabbed,’’ he said.
Former DG&IGP S T Ramesh said, “The location of cameras is very important. The angle, clarity and distance matter.” A senior officer in the department must be deputed to ensure they are working all the time.
Ramesh said many private organisation, individuals and companies install CCTV cameras in front or their house or offices. “Police can utilise footage from these cameras.”
Home Minister Ramalinga Reddy told Express that he has called for a meeting with senior police officials on Saturday where they will discuss issues including installing CCTV cameras. “We will see how best we can make use of CCTV footage from private organisiation and individuals,’’ he said.
Reddy said BBMP has allotted `10 lakh per ward to buy CCTV cameras. “We will ask BBMP to divert the fund to police. The police will be the best to identify crime-prone areas. CCTV cameras will be installed on priority,” he said.
Look who is watching you
Law and Order: 731 CCTV cameras
Traffic: 179 (another 100 will be added soon)
Others: Over 5 lakh
MAPPING THE CITY
800 sqkm
27 Assembly constituencies and 198 wards
93,000 roads running into 14,000 km