Karachi police have achieved a major breakthrough in digital policing after making their first-ever arrest through facial recognition technology.
According to Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Syed Asad Raza, the arrest occurred when an emergency response vehicle (ERV) operator received a real-time alert from the city’s facial recognition system identifying a motorcyclist with a known criminal background.
Although the precise location was not disclosed, the ERV team immediately responded to the alert, tracking down and stopping the suspect for identity verification.
Upon checking the computerized national identity card, the suspect was identified as Abdul Azeem, a wanted man facing six criminal cases, including attempted murder, possession of illegal weapons, and terrorism-related charges.
Police officials confirmed that Azeem had been declared an absconder in several earlier cases and was wanted for multiple armed encounters and rioting incidents in Karachi’s South Zone.
Authorities said the arrest was made without resistance, and Azeem was transferred to the concerned police station, where further legal procedures are underway to reopen pending investigations.
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DIG Raza called the arrest a “major step forward” in the city’s evolving public safety operations, highlighting how facial recognition technology can assist in identifying fugitives in real time.
Police said the AI-powered surveillance system is part of Karachi’s Safe City initiative, which integrates cameras, analytics, and digital data to improve crime prevention and emergency response capabilities.
Officials noted that the system is currently being tested across multiple city zones, where it helps ERV units detect and intercept suspects based on matches from national criminal databases.
Law enforcement officials believe this successful arrest demonstrates the technology’s growing potential in urban policing, enabling faster, more accurate identification of offenders and supporting smarter surveillance-driven investigations.
The Karachi police plan to expand the system’s operational scope citywide, linking it with databases from NADRA and other law enforcement agencies to enhance real-time intelligence sharing and digital policing efficiency.
