The Blink | Technology & Accountability | October 27, 2026: Odisha’s Commissionerate Police has initiated procurement of an AI-powered platform to accelerate financial-fraud investigations.
The proposed technology will analyse bank statements, trace financial transactions, identify suspected mule accounts and uncover connections between entities.
The initiative could significantly reduce the time investigators spend examining complex financial records.
But the proposed system raises important questions about procurement, privacy and accountability.
Who will supply the software, at what cost, and under what contractual safeguards?
Will sensitive banking records remain within secure government-controlled systems? Who will be permitted to access the information?
Most importantly, how will investigators verify AI-generated findings before using them in criminal proceedings?
Odisha Police is also developing a state cybercrime coordination centre, with plans to recruit 64 specialists.
These initiatives could strengthen financial-crime enforcement. However, procurement alone is not evidence of improved investigations.
The government should publish clear performance indicators, including investigation timelines, recovery of defrauded money and safeguards against incorrect identification.
AI can help police follow the money. But who follows the AI—and who is accountable when it gets something wrong?
