Uploaded April 2020 | Updated September 2026, 15 hours ago
Case Study: Mumbai Police Deploy ideaForge Megaphone Drone for Lockdown Surveillance in Dharavi slum
Problem Statement
i. Dharavi, a locality in Mumbai, has a population density of 2,77,136 persons per sq. km
ii. It is one of the most densely populated regions in the world
iii. COVID-19 positive cases were detected in this locality
iv. On-ground patrolling revealed that people were flouting lockdown orders
v. Mumbai Police’s patrol vans could not navigate through Dharavi’s narrow roads and bylanes to conduct surveillance operations
vi. Mumbai Police wanted to enforce lockdown to mitigate the spread of coronavirus
Solution & Implementation
i. ideaForge selected its NETRA Pro UAV as it has dual payload carrying capability
ii. An HD resolution payload and megaphone were integrated with the UAV
iii. The megaphone was connected to a walkie talkie operated by a senior Mumbai Police officer
iv. NETRA Pro UAV was deployed over Dharavi to conduct surveillance of
a. Narrow roads and bylanes
b. Areas not covered by CCTV cameras
v. The drone provided on-ground situational awareness in real-time
vi. Armed with this intelligence, Mumbai Police could
a. Identify crowd hotspots and lockdown violators
b. Warn lockdown violators via the megaphone
c. Dispatch resources accurately to disperse crowds
Results & Benefits
i. 16x increase in area under surveillance as compared to manual patrolling
ii. 50% reduction in response time as compared to manual patrolling
iii. Reduction in the risk of infection among police personnel as surveillance operations could be conducted safely from a distance
iv. ideaForge Megaphone Drone proved to be a strong deterrent against lockdown violations
v. Enabled Mumbai Police to enforce lockdown more efficiently in Dharavi
Case Study: Mumbai Police Deploy ideaForge Megaphone Drone for Lockdown Surveillance in Dharavi slum
Problem Statement
i. Dharavi, a locality in Mumbai, has a population density of 2,77,136 persons per sq. km
ii. It is one of the most densely populated regions in the world
iii. COVID-19 positive cases were detected in this locality
iv. On-ground patrolling revealed that people were flouting lockdown orders
v. Mumbai Police’s patrol vans could not navigate through Dharavi’s narrow roads and bylanes to conduct surveillance operations
vi. Mumbai Police wanted to enforce lockdown to mitigate the spread of coronavirus
Solution & Implementation
i. ideaForge selected its NETRA Pro UAV as it has dual payload carrying capability
ii. An HD resolution payload and megaphone were integrated with the UAV
iii. The megaphone was connected to a walkie talkie operated by a senior Mumbai Police officer
iv. NETRA Pro UAV was deployed over Dharavi to conduct surveillance of
a. Narrow roads and bylanes
b. Areas not covered by CCTV cameras
v. The drone provided on-ground situational awareness in real-time
vi. Armed with this intelligence, Mumbai Police could
a. Identify crowd hotspots and lockdown violators
b. Warn lockdown violators via the megaphone
c. Dispatch resources accurately to disperse crowds
Results & Benefits
i. 16x increase in area under surveillance as compared to manual patrolling
ii. 50% reduction in response time as compared to manual patrolling
iii. Reduction in the risk of infection among police personnel as surveillance operations could be conducted safely from a distance
iv. ideaForge Megaphone Drone proved to be a strong deterrent against lockdown violations
v. Enabled Mumbai Police to enforce lockdown more efficiently in Dharavi
