The Jammu Kashmir Police has introduced GPS tracker anklets for monitoring a militant accused out on bail, becoming the first police force in the country to do so, as reported by NDTV.
The GPS tracker anklet is a wearable device affixed around the ankle of the person to monitor and track their movement.
The device is already used in Western countries such as the USA, United Kingdom, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand to track accused persons on bail, parole, and house arrest, thereby reducing prison congestion.
According to the NDTV report, officials from the State Investigation Agency (SIA) of the J-K Police have introduced the GPS tracker anklet for monitoring the accused. They said that the J-K Police is the first police department in the country to introduce such a device.
The officials mentioned that these devices were introduced after a Special NIA Court in Jammu ordered the police to attach a GPS tracker anklet to a militancy accused, a move emphasized by the prosecution department of the police.
In an FIR registered under various sections of UAPA, accused Ghulam Mohd Bhat had applied for bail. During the bail hearing, the accused requested interim bail. He is currently on trial for his association with different militant organizations and involvement in militancy financing at the behest of the proscribed militant organization Hizbul Mujahideen (HM).
Bhat was arrested in the current FIR while attempting to transport the proceeds of militancy amounting to ₹2.5 lakh at the behest of HM.
The accused is also convicted by the NIA Court Patiala House, Delhi, in another case for his association with a militant organization and conspiracy to commit a terrorist act.
In the Special NIA Court, Jammu, the importance of closely monitoring the accused and the strict conditions for granting bail under the UAPA, 1967, was emphasized by the prosecution department of Zonal Police Headquarters (ZPHQ), Jammu.
“Finding merit in the submissions of the prosecution, the Special NIA Court, Jammu, ordered J-K Police to attach a GPS tracker anklet to the accused,” they added.