Kerala Police has launched HackUp 2026, a nationwide hackathon aimed at developing artificial intelligence-powered solutions to strengthen cybercrime investigations and digital policing efforts in India. The initiative, announced under the Kerala Police Cyber Security Conference (CoCon) 2026, seeks to bring together students, startups, researchers, cybersecurity professionals and technology innovators to address emerging challenges in cyber investigations.
The official website for HackUp 2026 was unveiled at the Kerala Police Headquarters in Thiruvananthapuram, where registrations for the programme were formally opened. State Police Chief Ravada Chandrashekhar inaugurated the initiative and highlighted the growing complexity of cybercrime investigations as digital offences continue to evolve in scale and sophistication.
According to Kerala Police, the hackathon is designed to create practical, technology-driven solutions that can support law enforcement agencies in processing and analysing large volumes of digital evidence. Officials noted that cybercrime investigations increasingly involve extensive datasets generated from devices, networks and online platforms, creating a need for advanced tools capable of extracting actionable intelligence efficiently.
The theme for this year’s programme is “Agentic AI for Investigations: From Evidence to Intelligence.” Participants will be encouraged to build AI-based systems that can help investigators analyse digital evidence, identify patterns, generate leads and improve decision-making during cybercrime investigations.
The initiative comes at a time when law enforcement agencies across the country are facing increasingly sophisticated cyber threats, including financial fraud, organised cybercrime networks, crimes targeting children and AI-enabled offences. Kerala Police officials said collaborative platforms such as HackUp can help bridge the gap between technological innovation and operational policing needs.
HackUp 2026 is being positioned as the seventh edition of Kerala Police’s flagship national innovation challenge. Organised through Kerala Police Cyberdome, the programme is expected to run across multiple cities, allowing participants from different parts of India to contribute solutions. Selected teams will undergo mentorship, product development and evaluation phases before presenting their projects at the final stage linked to CoCon 2026.
The event also marked the launch of the Kerala Police Cyberdome website and the release of promotional material related to the hackathon. Senior police officials, including representatives from cyber operations, law and order, vigilance and anti-corruption divisions, attended the launch. Representatives from educational institutions and technology partners associated with the programme also joined virtually.
Through HackUp 2026, Kerala Police aims to encourage wider participation from academia, startups and the cybersecurity ecosystem in developing deployable solutions that can support modern policing. The focus areas include strengthening cyber investigations, enhancing digital policing capabilities and improving online child protection efforts.
As cyber threats continue to evolve alongside advances in artificial intelligence, initiatives such as HackUp 2026 reflect a growing effort among law enforcement agencies to collaborate with the technology community and explore new approaches to cyber defence and digital investigations.