Nagpur (Maharashtra) [India], August 10 (ANI): We have witnessed incidents where some anti-social elements have incited communal hatred through social media, leading to riots. Now, Maharashtra has access to the world's best systems and technology to curb such crimes. 'Garuda Drishti' tools are playing a vital role in tracking down such individuals and ensuring immediate action against them, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said on Sunday.

CM Fadnavis was speaking at the presentation of the 'Garuda Drishti' social media monitoring and cyber intelligence project and the ceremony for the distribution of an amount of Rs 10 crore recovered from the investigation of various cyber financial crimes to the victims, held at Police Bhavan on behalf of the Nagpur Police Department.

The recovered amounts were handed over to the fraud victims by the Chief Minister.

Present on the occasion were Police Commissioner Ravindra Kumar Singhal, Joint Police Commissioner Navenchandra Reddy, Additional Police Commissioners Vasant Pardeshi, Rajendra Dabhade, Shivaji Rathod, and senior police officers.

'While using social media as a platform to express one's thoughts is commendable, we have also observed its misuse by certain anti-social elements for spreading hatred, issuing threats, hate speech, fake news, and even drug trafficking. Most financial fraud platforms are operated by foreign entities. Therefore, everyone must remain vigilant. Citizens should understand that any offers received on their mobile phones are likely traps for financial fraud. If you realise you have been a victim of financial fraud, contact helpline numbers 1930 and 1945 at the earliest,' appealed Chief Minister Fadnavis.

'The 'Garuda Drishti' system has been developed to prevent fraudulent activities carried out via social media platforms. Through this system, it will be possible to detect and track criminal activities on these platforms. In the future, the scope and capacity of these tools will be further enhanced,' he said.

The Chief Minister congratulated those who received their refunded amounts on Sunday. Police Commissioner Ravindra Kumar Singhal delivered the introductory remarks. Deputy Commissioner Lohit Matani gave a presentation on 'Garuda Drishti' before the programme. Joint Police Commissioner Navenchandra Reddy expressed thanks to the dignitaries present.

Amounts returned to victims after investigation: Rohit Agrawal - Rs 73 lakh, Shashikant Narayan Parande - Rs 34,77,724, Devidas Parkhi - Rs 35,15,842, Vijay Prakash Pathak - Rs 19,90,354, Vijay Menghani - Rs 19 lakh, Devendra Kharate - Rs 12,81,000, Rajmani Ajay Joshi - Rs 29,95,000, Rahul Chawda - Rs 15 lakh, Buddhipal Bagde - Rs 10 lakh, Aditya Goyanka - Rs 26,20,556, Sangeeta Ashtankar - Rs 8,24,000. (These are representative names.)

Since its inception, 'Garuda Drishti' has examined 30,000 posts on social media. Out of these, 650 offensive posts were identified and removed from the concerned platforms. The tool has been effectively used to prevent tension and law-and-order issues arising from rumours, hateful content, and controversial posts on social media. Developed at minimal cost through the Cyber Hack 2025 competition, this tool's Intellectual Property Rights are owned by the Nagpur Police. Apart from crime prevention, 'Garuda Drishti' is useful for analysing social media trends, identifying suspicious accounts, and enabling swift action. (ANI)