‘Abhayam’ app for those in distress

Summarising the efficacy of Abhayam mobile application, a distress call application, here on Tuesday, Home Minister N. Chinarajappa said that help was just a click away at the time of distress.

Launching the mobile application, he said that it was open to public for free and can be downloaded from Google into any smart phone that operates on Android platform. The application was designed by Bangalore-based IT company Logic Shore. Giving a demonstration of the product, company director Ajay Hari said the application facilitates the reportage of crime within seconds and help women in distress. Once the application is downloaded, all one has to do is to press a pre-determined panic button and the call gets activated within 10 seconds. Even if one cannot speak, the caller will be tracked with the help of GPRS and Crowd Sourcing technology, said Evani Mannur, another director of the company.
As soon as the button is pressed, the central command station, which is located at the Police Commissionerate, will receive the signal in seconds and a message to the nearest police station or police beat or patrol will be sent for immediate action.
The location of the caller can be accurately tracked to five-meter radius and the application was open to all districts in the State, said Mr. Hari. Apart from the distress call, the application has other options such as I-Report wherein one can take a picture, video or send a voice alert on a crime or emergency; Travel Tracker wherein one can alert his or her known persons about the specific location just in case one may feel threatened; and Safe Places option which gives a list of safe places such as police stations and hospitals to the person on the move.

Post launch of the app, DGP J.V. Ramudu said that the application should not be misused. According to a senior police officer, this system will immensely benefit women, especially the working women and a bane to eve-teasers, chain-snatchers, house-breakers and rapists, or for that matter any offender.

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