Indore Police turns to Facebook to nab criminals

Police have recently uploaded photos of the duo who allegedly robbed Rs 60 lakh from the Kanadia road branch of Bank of Maharashtra on December 12, 2008, Indore SP (headquarters) Dr Ashish said today.

"We have posted photos of criminals which were captured by the CCTVs of the bank. On Facebook, the photos would be seen by a large number of people," he said.

A prize of Rs 3.5 lakh has been announced to those who provide leads about the criminals, he said, adding that some clues about those behind the bank heist have been received from police officers of different areas.

"After police in some cities managed to get leads on criminals and various incidents through the social networking site, we are also trying to take its help, along with other conventional methods, in getting clues about them," he said on why they turned to the popular social networking site.

Indore Police is also using its two Facebook pages to inform the people on rules and regulations and they have received a number of 'likes' and comments for the posts, he said.

Indore district cyber crime cell head Jitendra Singh said the two criminals whose photos have been uploaded on Facebook are allegedly involved in two other major bank robberies.

"The Facebook users are 'sharing' these pictures, which has increased the hope that we would soon get some prime leads about the accused and would be able to nab them," he said.