New Delhi [India], January 28 : In a landmark achievement for digital governance and public safety, the Ahmedabad City Crime Branch has become the first law enforcement agency in India to enter into a formal agreement with the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) for Aadhaar-enabled guest verification. This pioneering collaboration integrates the Aadhaar App with the PATHIK (Program for Analysis of Traveller and Hotel Informatics) application, marking a significant leap forward in "Smart Policing", a press release said.
The initiative's technical excellence and practical utility have earned it prestigious national recognition. Out of numerous applicants, authorities have selected only 11 agencies to showcase their technological usability on a national stage.
Notably, the PATHIK software is the only law enforcement project to be selected among this elite group, highlighting its unique role in modernising security frameworks.
The upgraded PATHIK system allows hotels, PGs, and homestays to verify guest identities instantly through a consent-based, QR-code scanning process. This model prioritises citizen privacy by ensuring that no Aadhaar numbers are stored within the system; instead, it utilises secure, digitally signed demographics and photographs for verification.
Since its inception in 2017, PATHIK has evolved from a local initiative into a statewide success, with over 9,000 hotels currently onboarded across Gujarat. The system has already demonstrated profound field impact, having assisted in tracing more than 50 missing persons and identifying illegal immigrants. This new Aadhaar integration further solidifies PATHIK as a national model for secure, paperless, and transparent guest monitoring.