Gwalior: You might be receiving messages reminding you to link bank accounts and mobile phone number quite frequently but police in Madhya Pradesh has gone a step further asking listed criminals to furnish Aadhaar cards so that their past record could be verified and a tab could be put on their future nefarious activities.

The initiative has been taken by Gwalior police which first plans to link Aadhaar numbers of criminals with their database in the police station and later upload the data on the district NIC server.

An officer from the Gwalior police said that these days mobile phones offer the most vital trail to track criminals after any incident and Aadhaar number could well be the second link in crime investigation. “Police keeping Aadhaar cards details of criminals would exert a psychological pressure on the criminals,” said the officer.

The local beat staff of Gwalior police these days is visiting homes of listed criminals on the basis of their addresses kept on their record and are asking for Aadhaar cards copies. Besides Aadhar card copies, the police stations are recording fingerprints of the criminals as well.

However, well aware of the consequences of offering Aadhaar number, criminals are presenting a wide range of excuses with non-possession of any Aadhaar number is being prominent among them.

In relentless mood, the police have offered them 15 days period to get Aadhaar card prepared. Not letting them go off the hook, police have asked them to first apply for the Aadhaar certification and submit the copy of the receipt with the police station concerned.

“In the first phase, we are linking Aadhar with the database of criminals nabbed in cases pertaining to a property dispute, illegal arms and with history habitual crimes,” Addl Superintendent of Police Dinesh Kaushal said.

Aadhaar details could help tracing the criminal as now sim cards are required to be linked to Aadhaar number and Aadhaar details could also be helpful in tracing property and bank details of the criminal concerned, said Kaushal.