Nepal Police has already set about the practice of keeping track of suspected criminals through GPS devices, though no existing law warrants its use. The first experiment is on Kumar Ghainte, a self-proclaimed “don” of the capital, who was released two months ago after completion of his 17-month term for attempted murder.[break]
“We have given him the GPS device, and he is always supposed to possess and keep it functional,” said Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Rana Bahadur Chand, chief of Metropolitan Police Crime Division (MPCD).
Chand said that he has been working on a plan to make wider use of the GPS devices to keep track of suspected criminals. “The effectiveness of the first experiment has encouraged us to take steps in that direction,” he added.
Chand also showed Republica on his personal computer Ghainte´s movements captured by the GPS device. “At some points, he does not seem to possess the device,” he said, pointing out the gaps in the red lines.
Meanwhile, the techno-savvy officer had summoned Ghainte, once notoriously known in the capital for carrying out criminal activities like extortions and shoot-outs, to his office. Ghainte appeared at MPCD accompanied by a Nepali Congress lawmaker.
“He said that he forgot to charge the device or sometimes to carry it in a hurry,” said Chand. “He was warned not to leave out the device.”
No matter what the application of GPS device means in crime investigation, the practice can fail anytime unless its use is warranted by the laws, said officials. “A single lawsuit invoking privacy rights could bring an end to its use,” said an official.
SSP Chand, however, claimed that he had introduced the practice as per the authority conferred on the police by existing laws to monitor any person under suspicion. “We have just exercised that authority,” he added.
Some officials contend that the existing criminal laws alone suffice to keep track of criminals who are released on “Hajir Jamani”-- the practice of releasing the suspects on a condition to report back when called -- through the device.
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