CHITRAGUPT- AI-Powered Mobile Forensics

1. Introduction

Chitragupt, developed by Forensic CyberTech Machines Pvt. Ltd., is India's first indigenous, AI-powered mobile forensics suite — built under the Make in India initiative. Developed in direct response to problem statements issued by I4C (MHA) and iDEX (MoD), it is purpose-built for law enforcement, national security, defence, and enterprise investigations.

Unlike international alternatives, Chitragupt combines hardware and software into a rugged, field-ready kit that enables lawful identification, preservation, extraction, and AI-driven analysis of digital evidence on the spot. The company is empanelled by CERT-In and supported by premier institutions including National Forensic Sciences University.  

2. How It Works

Chitragupt operates as an integrated hardware-software forensics platform. The rugged carry case houses a high-performance laptop powered by NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 (321 AI TOPS), Intel Core i7 (14th Gen), 32 GB DDR5-5600 RAM, and NVMe PCIe Gen4 SSD — all optimized for on-site AI inference without cloud dependency.

Investigators connect target mobile devices via USB or wireless interfaces. The software performs lawful extraction using logical, file system, and physical methods, applies real-time AI analysis modules, and generates customizable forensic reports ready for legal proceedings.

Advanced modules process extracted data through rapid triage, multilingual translation, media classification, timeline reconstruction, link/network mapping, and anomaly detection — converting raw device data into actionable intelligence within minutes.

3. Key Features & Capabilities

• AI-Powered Data Analysis: Leverages on-device artificial intelligence for deep data triage, pattern detection, and behavioral anomaly identification.

• Universal Device Compatibility: Supports a wide range of Android and iOS versions, legacy devices, and feature phones.

• Multilingual Support: Processes and translates content across Indian regional languages, enabling effective analysis of locally generated evidence.

• Instant Data Extraction: Rapidly retrieves contacts, call logs, messages, WhatsApp, social media, media files, and app data from target devices.

• Media Classification: AI-based automated classification of images and videos to flag relevant evidence and reduce manual review burden.

• Timeline Reconstruction: Visualizes digital activity chronologically across multiple apps and communication channels.

• Link & Network Mapping: Maps relationships between contacts, devices, and communication events for investigative link analysis.

• Secure Evidence Management: Tamper-proof, hashed storage of acquired data to maintain chain of custody and forensic integrity.

• Quick Deployment: Field-ready kit deployable on-site or in secure locations — no specialized infrastructure required.

• Court-Ready Reports: Generates detailed, customizable forensic reports tailored for legal proceedings, internal audits, and strategic briefings.

4. User Experience & Workflow Efficiency

Chitragupt is designed with operational field teams in mind. The rugged portable kit — styled in a hard-shell carry case — requires minimal setup time, making it suitable for time-sensitive investigations.

• Intuitive Interface: User-friendly workflows reduce the technical learning curve for non-specialist field officers and investigators.

• Rapid Triage Module: Quickly identifies priority evidence, enabling investigators to focus analytical effort on the most relevant data points.

• On-Site Processing: Eliminates dependency on back-end labs — AI analysis runs entirely on the local hardware for operational security.

• Streamlined Reporting: One-click customizable report generation reduces administrative burden post-investigation.

• Multilingual Workflow: Built-in translation support for regional Indian languages ensures investigations are not bottlenecked by language barriers.

• Scalable Deployment: Suitable for individual investigators, field units, and centralized forensics labs with consistent workflow outputs.

5. Performance & Accuracy

• High-Performance Hardware: NVIDIA RTX 4070 with 321 AI TOPS ensures fast, accurate AI inference even on large datasets from complex devices.

• Extraction Accuracy: Retrieves comprehensive data artifacts including deleted content, encrypted app data, and metadata with temporal precision.

• Evidence Integrity: Maintains chain of custody with cryptographic hashing and tamper-proof acquisition protocols.

• AI Analysis Precision: Reduces false positives in media classification and anomaly detection through trained, context-aware models.

• Low Turnaround Time: Accelerates investigations from days to hours by automating triage, translation, and classification workflows.

• Consistent Repeatability: Delivers verifiable, repeatable forensic outputs suitable for court admissibility across varied device types and OS versions.

6. Safety, Ethics & Compliance

• Forensically Safe: Read-only acquisition protocols prevent any alteration of original device data, preserving admissibility.

• Legal Framework Compliant: Designed for use under lawful authorization — warrants, consent, or court orders — in line with Indian legal standards.

• CERT-In Empanelled: Officially recognized by India's national cybersecurity agency, validating its trustworthiness for government and LEA deployments.

• Data Sovereignty: Fully on-premise — no data leaves the investigator's device, ensuring classified or sensitive investigation data remains secure.

• Accountability & Audit Trails: All investigator actions are logged, supporting accountability and transparency in evidence handling.

• Privacy Safeguards: Supports selective extraction to minimize exposure of irrelevant personal data, aligned with proportionality principles.

• Institutional Backing: Supported by MHA's I4C, MoD's iDEX, NFSU, IIT Bombay, IIT Kanpur, and IIMA Ventures — ensuring rigorous oversight.

7. Strengths of Chitragupt

8. Areas of Future Development

• Next-Gen iOS Exploit Capabilities
  Enhance full file system and physical extraction for latest iOS versions, adapting to evolving Apple security frameworks.

• Global Device & Cloud Expansion
  Broaden support for international OEM devices and region-specific cloud applications to enable seamless cross-border investigations.

• AI-Powered Case Correlation
  Develop intelligent cross-case linking to automatically connect suspects, devices, and digital evidence across investigations.

• Advanced Analytics & Visualization UI
  Introduce powerful filtering, timeline analysis, and graph-based visualizations for efficient handling of large, complex datasets.

• Structured Training & Certification Ecosystem
  Establish standardized training and certification programs for LEAs to ensure rapid adoption and effective utilization.

9. Final Verdict

• Strategically Significant: A sovereign, Make in India forensics solution addressing a critical national security gap.

• AI-First Architecture: Goes beyond conventional extraction tools with advanced on-device AI analysis modules.

• Operationally Robust: Rugged hardware and field-ready design ensure reliability in demanding real-world environments.

• Institutionally Validated: Backed by India's top government agencies, premier academic institutions, and empanelled by CERT-In.

• Data Sovereign: All processing on-premise — a key differentiator for sensitive government and defence investigations.

• Improvement Pathway: Expanding cloud forensics, iOS depth, and international device support will further strengthen its global competitiveness.