Jammu and Kashmir Police first in country to introduce GPS tracker anklets for terror accused

The Jammu and Kashmir Police has introduced GPS tracker anklets for monitoring the terror accused out on bail, becoming the first police force in the country to do so, officials said on Saturday.

The GPS tracker anklet is a wearable device affixed around the ankle of the person to be monitored and tracks their movement.

The device is already being used in Western countries such as the USA, United Kingdom, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand to track the movement of accused persons on bail, parole and house arrest and accordingly de-congests prisons to a large extent.

The officials of the State Investigation Agency (SIA) of the J-K Police have introduced the GPS tracker anklet for monitoring of bail-out terror accused, the officials said.

They said the J-K Police is the first police department in the country to introduce such a device.

The officials said the devices were introduced after a Special NIA Court, Jammu, passed an order directing the police to affix a GPS tracker anklet on a terror accused -- the importance of which was highlighted by the prosecution department of the police.

Giving details of the case, the officials said in an FIR registered under various sections of UAPA, accused Ghulam Mohd Bhat had applied for bail.

During the pendency of the bail hearing, the accused sought to be released on interim bail. The accused is undergoing trial for being associated with different terrorist organisations and being involved in terror financing at the behest of proscribed terrorist organisation Hizbul Mujahideen (HM), they said.

Bhat was arrested in the current FIR while attempting to transport the proceeds of terrorism to the tune of Rs 2.5 lakh at the behest of HM.

The accused is also convicted by the NIA Court Patiala House, Delhi, in another case for being associated with a terrorist organisation and for conspiracy for a terrorist act, the officials said.

In the Special NIA Court, Jammu, the importance of close monitoring of the terror accused and the stringent conditions for grant of bail under the UAPA, 1967, was highlighted by the prosecution department of Zonal Police Headquarters (ZPHQ), Jammu, the officials said.

“Finding merit in the submissions of the prosecution, the Special NIA Court, Jammu, was pleased to pass an order directing J-K Police to affix a GPS tracker anklet on the accused,” they added.

J-K Police is the pioneering police department in the country to provide for affixing of GPS tracker anklets to persons seeking bail, they said.