Telangana Police to deploy AI-enabled drones as ‘aerial beat officers’
HYDERABAD: Telangana Police is preparing to roll out TG-QUEST, an artificial intelligence-integrated drone policing system aimed at shifting routine law enforcement towards predictive, technology-driven operations.
Conceived as a network of “aerial beat officers”, the project integrates artificial intelligence, facial recognition systems, predictive analytics and autonomous drones, including in-house manufactured unmanned aerial vehicles, to prevent crime rather than merely respond to it.
From identifying crime hotspots and tracking suspicious behaviour in dark alleys to issuing traffic challans mid-air with video evidence, TG-QUEST is designed as a real-time situational awareness layer across cities, towns and remote terrain.
Director general of police B Shivadhar Reddy said TG-QUEST combines drones, artificial intelligence and real-time monitoring to strengthen policing across key areas such as crime prevention, women’s safety, traffic management, VIP security, counter-extremism operations and large public events. “It provides aerial visibility and early alerts that help police respond faster and prevent incidents before they occur,” he said.
“In Maoist-affected or terror-risk zones, manual patrolling involves high risk without proper situational awareness. During communal tension, riots or sudden mob formation, police teams often enter situations without a full picture. TG-QUEST fills these gaps by acting as the ‘aerial patrol officer’ that can see what ground teams cannot,” the DGP added.
Telangana Special Intelligence Branch chief B Sumathi played a key role in developing TG-QUEST.
Drones as first responders
The system is designed to function as a first responder during emergencies. Upon distress alerts or emergency calls, drones can be launched autonomously to reach the location faster than ground teams. Live video feeds will be transmitted to command and control centres, enabling quicker decisions, public announcements through onboard sirens and improved coordination.
Drone footage will be archived in a tamper-proof evidence repository, automatically tagged with GPS coordinates and timestamps for retrieval during investigations and inclusion in First Information Reports.
How TG-QUEST works
TG-QUEST operates through drones that stream live feeds to police dashboards and command centres, where AI analyses footage in real time. Drones can reach preloaded GPS locations, capture live visuals of people or premises and detect violations such as establishments operating beyond permitted hours.
The analytics layer is designed to flag unusual behaviour patterns, including loitering near residences, attempted break-ins, forced entry indicators, aggressive postures, stalking cues, crowd build-up and other “pre-crime” markers. Alerts are then pushed to patrol vehicles and command centres.
For offender detection, the system uses facial recognition to match faces against police databases and linked datasets, including pending warrants, missing persons and stolen vehicles.
Traffic, rescue and security roles
In traffic enforcement, AI-enabled drones can detect violations such as wrong-side driving and illegal parking, generate challans supported by video evidence and assist in route clearance for emergency vehicles, including ambulances.
The drones are also equipped for accident assessment, capable of identifying injuries, vehicle positions, debris and obstructions, and detecting fuel leaks or fire hazards to enable accurate dispatch of ambulance and fire services.
Additional capabilities include thermal detection and movement tracking, human signature detection for locating trapped persons, debris mapping, convoy route monitoring, high-ground aerial patrols and identification of hostile drones for counter-action.
Overall, TG-QUEST is expected to significantly reduce response times and enhance life-saving situational management across Telangana.
