CID - Crime Investigation Department (Functions, Branches and Landmark Cases)

The CID full form is the Crime Investigation Department (क्राइम इन्वेस्टिगेशन डिपार्टमेंट). It is a special Investigating and Intelligence Wing of the State Police in India. CID makes use of Forensic science, Fingerprint, Digital Evidence, and maintains Criminal Database while investigating complex cases.

It was formed in 1902 by the then British government on the recommendation of the Indian Police Commission. The officers were initially known as ‘Detectives’ due to their investigation style in plain civil clothes.

CID is a state level crime investigating agency whereas the CBI is the central level crime investigating agency. Rai Bahudur Pandit Shabbhu Nath is famously remembered as the ‘Father of Indian CID’.

• Before 1902, there was extremely high corruption and inefficiency in the police administrative system. In order to keep a check, the Indian Police Commission headed by Andrew Frazer was appointed by the then Viceroy of India Lord Curzon.
• In 1929, The police department was divided into 2 wings: Special or Intelligence branch, and the Crime or Investigation branch.
• After the Indian Independence, almost every state in India formed their own Crime Investigation Department.
• The department is headed by an Officer on Special Duty (OSD) or an Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) rank officer.
• With years of experience, the CID looks after monitoring of cyber forensic and special economic crimes.

• The Crime Investigation Department holds the power to conduct an enquiry anywhere within the state. In simple terms, we can say that the state police are bound by jurisdiction while CID do not have any state jurisdiction.
• The CID officers hold the legal powers under The Police Act of 1861, and the Bhartiya Nagrik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023. They can issue summons, seize assets, and freeze financial bank accounts. The CID has the power to conduct inspections by utilizing the latest technology and detailed forensic reports.
• The CID officer or personnel hold complete police powers. They can detain any suspect and arrest through a warrant, if required. They can interrogate the suspect in custody for serious offences like Murder, Cyber Fraud, and Human Trafficking.
• They comprise the Powers of Supervision. If any case is being officially transferred from the police department or High Court to CID, the CID officers have the power to override the case and take complete control of investigation files from local police stations.

• The Crime Branch- CID or simple CB-CID is a specialized high level wing of the state police department. It usually investigates serious, sensitive, organised, inter-district, and inter-state crime cases.
• It looks into the cases like Fraud, Cybercrime, Economic offence and Narcotics which require a special expertise above the capacity of local police.
• The CB-CID collects criminal intelligence, and maintains the record of crime in particular states.
• They provide assistance to the district level police to prevent crime detection.