Delhi to Get Dedicated Anti-Terror Squad with Forensic & Crypto-Tracking Unit
In a major transformation of India’s urban counter-terror architecture, Delhi is set to establish a dedicated Anti-Terror Squad (ATS) under the newly unveiled national counter-terrorism strategy PRAHAAR. The move signals a decisive shift from reactive policing to a technology-driven, forensic-centred intelligence model designed to counter modern terror networks.
The proposed ATS will function as a specialised, multi-vertical force distinct from the existing Special Cell, with its own operational, intelligence, cyber-technical and training wings. The restructuring aims to tackle digitally sophisticated, transnational terror modules and the growing terror–organised crime nexus.
Why Delhi Needs a Dedicated ATS
Delhi’s security landscape has evolved rapidly due to the emergence of encrypted communication channels, cryptocurrency-based funding, cross-border handlers and organised crime linkages. As the national capital and a high-value strategic target, the city requires a real-time disruption capability rather than post-incident investigation.
- Technology-enabled terror modules
- Gangster–terror funding linkages
- Encrypted and dark-web communications
- Cross-border operational control
The new ATS is designed to neutralise threats through intelligence generation, financial tracking and forensic analysis before attacks occur.
Command Structure and Organisational Design
The unit will be headed by a Special Commissioner of Police and supported by Additional Commissioners and DCP-rank officers overseeing specialised verticals.
Core Functional Wings
- Operations & Investigation
- Counter-Intelligence
- Cyber & Technical Support
- Training & Capacity Building
This structure mirrors the emerging national model for standardised ATS units to ensure seamless coordination with central agencies.
The Forensic & Technical Data Cell: A Game-Changer
The most significant development for the forensic ecosystem is the creation of a dedicated technical-financial and forensic intelligence cell.
Digital & Cyber Forensics
- Real-time analysis of digital footprints
- Encrypted communication tracking
- Dark-web intelligence exploitation
Crypto & Financial Forensics
- Monitoring cryptocurrency-based terror funding
- Mapping clandestine money trails
- Identifying proceeds of crime
Legal–Forensic Integration
- Court-admissible evidence collection from the earliest stage
- Alignment with UAPA and organised-crime laws
- Improved conviction rates through procedural compliance
This marks a shift where forensic science becomes an operational intelligence tool rather than a post-crime laboratory function.
Target: The Terror–Gangster–Narco Nexus
The ATS will simultaneously dismantle:
- Organised crime syndicates
- Narco-terror networks
- Jail-to-street command chains
- Foreign-controlled local modules
The focus is on choking the financial lifelines of terror ecosystems using special laws and forensic financial intelligence.
PRAHAAR: India’s Counter-Terror Doctrine
The ATS is part of India’s first comprehensive counter-terrorism policy PRAHAAR, which promotes prevention through intelligence and technology-driven disruption.
- Prevention through intelligence
- Swift and proportionate response
- Whole-of-government coordination
- Rule-of-law-based investigation
- Counter-radicalisation
- International cooperation
This doctrine formally shifts India’s approach from incident response to pre-emptive neutralisation.
Forensic Significance for India
| Traditional Model | New Forensic-Led Model |
|---|---|
| Post-crime laboratory analysis | Real-time forensic intelligence |
| Limited financial investigation | Crypto & financial tracking |
| Delayed legal scrutiny | Early legal–forensic integration |
| Reactive policing | Predictive threat disruption |
This transformation will create demand for:
- Blockchain forensic analysts
- Forensic accountants
- Cyber-forensic intelligence specialists
- Data-correlation experts
National Security Impact
The Delhi ATS will function as a permanent urban counter-terror strike capability and a primary first responder to terror threats, while working in close coordination with national agencies.
Why This Matters for the Forensic Community
This development moves forensic science from a laboratory-centric discipline to a core operational pillar of national security. Experts will now play a direct role in threat detection, financial disruption and intelligence generation.
Conclusion
The creation of a dedicated Anti-Terror Squad in Delhi under the PRAHAAR doctrine is not merely an administrative reform — it is the institutionalisation of forensic intelligence at the heart of counter-terror operations.
As terrorism becomes networked, digitised and financially engineered, India’s counter-terror future will increasingly depend on forensic science, data analytics and evidence-driven disruption.
