As cyber threats become more advanced and complex, the Kerala Police has launched ‘Hackup 2026’ (HAC’KP 2026), a pan-India multi-city hackathon aimed at developing innovative AI-powered solutions to support cybercrime investigations and modern policing.
The initiative is being organised as part of the Kerala Police Cyber Security Conference CoCon 2026. The official website of Hackup 2026 was launched, and registrations for the event were inaugurated at the Police Headquarters by State Police Chief Ravada Chandrashekhar on Thursday.
The hackathon seeks to bring together students, researchers, startups, cybersecurity experts and innovators from across India to build advanced technology solutions that can address emerging challenges in digital policing.
Speaking at the launch, Chandrashekhar highlighted that cybercrime is becoming increasingly sophisticated, with organised criminal networks, financial fraud, crimes against children and AI-driven offences creating new challenges for law enforcement agencies. He noted that investigators often struggle to extract meaningful intelligence from the growing volume of digital evidence generated during investigations.
The theme of Hackup 2026 is “Agentic AI for Investigations: From Evidence to Intelligence”.
The programme aims to encourage the development of AI-based tools capable of analysing digital evidence, identifying hidden patterns and converting large volumes of information into actionable intelligence for investigative agencies.
During the event, the Kerala Police also launched the Cyberdome website and unveiled the official Hackup 2026 trailer and promotional materials.
Several senior police officials attended the launch, including DGP and Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau Director Manoj Abraham, ADGP (Police Headquarters) and IGP Cyber Operations-in-charge S. Sreejith, ADGP (Law and Order) H. Venkitesh, and ADGP (AP Battalion) Dhinendra Kashyap. Representatives from educational institutions and technology partners associated with the hackathon also joined the programme online.
The Kerala Police has invited students, researchers, startups, cybersecurity professionals and technology enthusiasts from across the country to participate and contribute innovative AI-driven solutions focused on cyber investigations, digital policing and child safety in the digital era.
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