Ground-Breaking | History of GPS, its use on anklets of terror-accused on bail in J&K

Srinagar, Nov 5: In a ground-breaking development the State Investigation Agency (SIA), an anti-terror wing of the Jammu and Kashmir Police introduced the Global Positioning System (GPS) tracker anklets to monitor the terror-accused people on bail in J&K.

The GPS was pasted on the anklet of an accused of terror financing Ghulam Muhammad Bhat, who had served many years in jail.

Bhat was again arrested in a terror case and on the court directions the J&K Police affixed a GPS tracker anklet on the accused.

The J&K Police said that in FIR No 252/2007 under Sections 17, 18, 21, 24, and 40 of the UAPA 1967 of Police Station Udhampur, the accused Bhat had applied for bail.

“In the Special NIA Court, Jammu the importance of close monitoring of terror accused and the stringent conditions for grant of bail under the UAPA 1967 were highlighted by the Prosecution Department of Zonal Police Headquarters, Jammu, J&K Police. Finding merit in the submissions of the prosecution, the Special NIA Court, Jammu passed an order directing J&K Police to affix a GPS tracker anklet on the accused,” the court order read.

Now every movement of Bhat would be recorded.

GPS tracking technology uses satellite signals to determine the precise location of a device or man in real time.

It was originally developed by the United States Department of Defense for military use.

Today, GPS tracking is used in a variety of applications, including fleet management, asset tracking, and personal tracking.

“GPS tracking works by using a network of satellites orbiting the earth to transmit signals to GPS receivers on the ground,” a senior J&K Police officer said. “These receivers can be located in devices like smartphones, tablets, or dedicated GPS tracking units.”

He said that the GPS receiver calculates its location by triangulating its position based on the signals it receives from multiple satellites.

The officer said that there is a range of GPS tracking apps and devices available on the market, each serving different needs with a variety of features and capabilities.

“Some GPS tracking devices are specifically designed for fleet management or asset tracking, while others are more suitable for personal tracking purposes or anti-theft security,” he said.

“In cases like Bhat, the ability to track his location in real-time and receive instant notifications of important events make personal tracking devices one of the best safety systems on the market,” the officer said.