NEW DELHI: The NATGRID, which shares real-time data on intelligence inputs and status of different probes with law-enforcement agencies across the country, in a communication through the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has asked all state police forces to enhance their engagements with the online system and proactively use the database for crime control and reigning in criminals, officials said on Sunday.
The NATGRID, which operates directly under the MHA, shares data with 11 central agencies and all state police forces in real-time on terror activities, organised criminal gangs, financial transactions, immigration, circulation of counterfeit currency and narcotics, besides other inputs.
The officials said in a letter to the Director General of Police (DGP) of all states, Piyush Goyal, Chief Executive Officer of the NATGRID, has requested them to instruct their respective forces to effectively utilise the NATGRID solution.
The letter specifically emphasised on encouraging the district superintendents of police (SPs) for a wider use of the NATGRID database in their crime-control and law-enforcement initiatives, they added.
“This may please be reviewed in your meetings periodically. NATGRID is continuing to augment more features/functionalities in the solution and conducting regular training/feedback sessions,” Goyal said in the letter, adding that it can additionally organise dedicated training sessions for police officers, wherever required.
The letter said with collaborative efforts, many new users have started using the system proactively and there has been a significant increase in the usage of NATGRID solution.
“I would like to highlight and commend the consistent usage of NATGRID solution by Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Assam, which are the top performers for the period Jan-Jun 2025,” the letter read.
Besides these states, in the letter Goyal also appreciated the efforts made by Tamil Nadu, which enhanced “the number of active users, who have fired at least one query in a month”.
NATGRID, which conceptualised after the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, disseminates information to agencies like the IB, R&AW, CBI, Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), Enforcement Directorate and others. It has a database of more than 20 categories like railways, banks, airlines, credit-card companies and immigration.
The work on the NATGRID was accelerated after Amit Shah became the Union home minister in 2019, the officials said.
The lack of real-time information was considered to be one of the major hurdles in detecting US terror suspect David Headley’s movement across the country during his multiple visits between 2006 and 2009. Headley had provided key information and videos of terror targets to Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), which carried out the 26/11 Mumbai attacks that claimed 166 lives.