India's police forces are discovering the power of social media. On Sunday, Delhi Police organised a unique rescue when they were able to reunite a lost Alzheimer patient with her family in just a few hours, with the help of Twitter.
After a police van found 80-year-old Kamla Gupta in north Delhi, the city's Deputy Commissioner of Police (North) Madhur Verma tweeted her details. Gupta, an Alzheimer's patient, had lost her way after visiting a temple in the morning. She was unable to remember her address even after she was taken to the police station.
Smt Kamla Gupta, 80..found in Ashok Vihar..unable to recall her address. If u identify pls contact PS Ashok Vihar. pic.twitter.com/o0A7uFRCJ0
— Madhur Verma (@DCP_North_Delhi) January 31, 2016
Soon after, a businessman named Vishal Kumar shared the information on a Facebook group asking people to identify the woman. After her family contacted him, Kumar helped DCP Verma connect to the family in less than two hours through Twitter.
@DCP_North_Delhi madhur verma jii ..her family members contacted me about her...please give ur contact number or place to contact.....urgent
— vishal jain (@urban_mogli) January 31, 2016
. @urban_mogli Great!! I'm calling you.
— Madhur Verma (@DCP_North_Delhi) January 31, 2016
That's the power of social media. Thanks @TwitterIndia .Family members of Mrs Kamla Gupta traced in less then 2 hrs! pic.twitter.com/9NGw1MFFvG
— Madhur Verma (@DCP_North_Delhi) January 31, 2016
Police forces in several Indian cities are increasingly using social media to communicate with their citizens, offer real-time updates and troubleshoot problems. While Delhi Police got its official Twitter account only in December, Verma has been using Twitter since 2014.
In March 2015, he was applauded for his role in rescuing three lost kids stranded at a railway station in Delhi. After a concerned journalist tweeted their photographs, Verma launched a search mission and eventually managed to reunite the kids with their parents.
"Twitter is a great platform for reaching out to citizens, and presenting our side of the story. If you are available online and on social media, you can catch the pulse of the society and even challenge unfounded rumours," Verma says.