Staff training begins for Kerala's first AI drone surveillance pilot at Viyyur Central Prison

9 November 2026

Training of prison staff has begun for the artificial intelligence drone surveillance system that the Prison Department is piloting at Viyyur Central Prison. It is the first such project in a prison in Kerala. The drones fly on autopilot, can cover the whole prison premises in about ten minutes, and alert the prison authorities when they pick up unusual movement. They carry thermal imaging, which reads differences in heat and so can work in darkness or smoke, and their sensors let them turn when an object is thrown in from outside. Each drone costs Rs 10 lakh. Eighteen staff members are being trained in sessions spread over four Sundays, and the system is expected to be working at Viyyur within two months. The Prison Department plans to take the system to other central prisons afterwards.