The Railway Protection Force (RPF) of the South Central Railway’s Hyderabad Division on Thursday launched ‘Pink Patrol’, a first-of-its-kind initiative in Indian Railways that combines women-led drone surveillance with rapid-response policing for MMTS suburban trains.

While long-distance trains are covered under the RPF’s My Saheli initiative, officials said MMTS services pose unique operational challenges, including short-distance travel, high passenger density and faster movement cycles, necessitating a more agile security mechanism. Under Pink Patrol, state-of-the-art drones equipped with advanced surveillance technology have been deployed. These include thermal imaging sensors for low-light and night operations, night vision-enabled optics, high-definition real-time video transmission, long-range zoom capabilities for precision monitoring, and stabilised aerial platforms for continuous tracking of moving trains. The drones also feature rapid deployment capability for emergency response situations.