Kerala Police on Thursday, 11 June 2026 launched Hackup 2026 (HAC'KP 2026), a pan-India multi-city hackathon aimed at developing next-generation, AI-powered solutions to combat the rapidly evolving threat of cybercrime. Registrations were inaugurated at the Police Headquarters in Thiruvananthapuram by State Police Chief Ravada Chandrashekhar, who also unveiled the official hackathon website.

What Hackup 2026 Is About

Organised under the umbrella of the Kerala Police Cyber Security Conference CoCon 2026, the hackathon carries the theme 'Agentic AI for Investigations: From Evidence to Intelligence'. The initiative invites students, researchers, startups, cybersecurity professionals and technology innovators from across India to build AI-driven tools that help investigative agencies analyse digital evidence, detect patterns and convert raw data into actionable intelligence.

The event also saw the launch of the Kerala Police Cyberdome website, alongside the unveiling of the official Hackup 2026 trailer and promotional materials.

Why Kerala Police Are Turning to Crowdsourced Innovation

Addressing the launch, State Police Chief Chandrashekhar said cybercrimes were growing increasingly sophisticated, with organised criminal networks, financial frauds, crimes against children and artificial intelligence-driven offences posing fresh challenges for investigators. He noted that law enforcement agencies were struggling to extract meaningful intelligence from the sheer volume of digital evidence generated during investigations.

Chandrashekhar argued that collaborative platforms like Hackup could bridge the widening gap between technology capability and policing practice. This comes amid a nationwide surge in cyber fraud cases — India recorded over 1.5 million cybercrime complaints on the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal in 2023 alone, according to government data.

Senior Officials and Partners Present

The launch was attended by senior police officials 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 of partner educational institutions and technology collaborators from across India joined online.

Who Can Participate and What Is Expected

Kerala Police have opened registrations to students, researchers, startups, cybersecurity professionals and technology enthusiasts nationwide. Participants are expected to submit innovative, AI-powered solutions targeting three priority areas: improving cyber investigations, strengthening digital policing infrastructure, and enhancing child protection in the digital space.

The multi-city format is designed to maximise geographic participation, with partner institutions serving as regional hubs. With cybercrime evolving faster than conventional policing tools, Hackup 2026 represents Kerala's bet that the next breakthrough in digital law enforcement may come from outside the force itself.