In a world where crime increasingly leaves its fingerprints in data rather than DNA, the tools used to investigate wrongdoing are evolving at unprecedented speed. Next March, investigators, forensic scientists, and law enforcement officials from across the globe will gather in western India to examine how artificial intelligence is reshaping the future of digital forensics—and, with it, modern policing.
A Global Gathering on the Frontlines of Digital Evidence
From March 23 to 25, 2026, the National Forensic Sciences University (NFSU) in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, will host two closely linked international events at the intersection of technology and law enforcement: the 11th INTERPOL Digital Forensic Expert Group (DFEG) Meeting and the first-ever International Investigators’ Summit on AI-Enabled Digital Forensic Investigations.
Organised in collaboration with INTERPOL, the world’s largest police organisation with 196 member countries, the events will bring together practitioners, policymakers, technologists, and academics grappling with the realities of crime in a digital age. For India, the host nation, the meetings mark a growing role in shaping global conversations on forensic science and cyber-enabled investigations.
A Forum Born in Innovation, Sustained by Collaboration
The Digital Forensic Expert Group traces its origins to 2015, when INTERPOL’s Global Complex for Innovation in Singapore identified the need for a dedicated platform to address rapid technological change in criminal investigations. Since then, the DFEG has convened annually, rotating across continents and reflecting the increasingly global nature of digital evidence.
Previous meetings have been held in Spain, South Korea, the United Kingdom, Brazil, the United States, Norway, Malaysia, Scotland, Hong Kong, and earlier in India. Each forum has served as a space for law enforcement officials, government agencies, forensic companies, and universities to exchange experiences, discuss emerging challenges, and examine new investigative tools.
The Gandhinagar meeting will be the 11th in the series and the second time India has hosted the forum—a point of institutional pride for NFSU, which has positioned itself as a hub for forensic education and research.
From Expert Dialogue to Applied Investigation
The two-day DFEG meeting will be followed, on March 25, by a more hands-on gathering: the first International Investigators’ Summit on AI-Enabled Digital Forensic Investigations. Designed as a one-day summit-cum-competition, the event aims to move beyond theory into applied problem-solving.
Participants will engage with real-world investigative themes that increasingly define contemporary law enforcement: artificial intelligence–enabled mobile forensics, dark web investigations, human trafficking networks, cryptocurrency and blockchain tracing, cybercrime, anti-money laundering, and counter-terrorist financing. Organisers say the format is intended to reflect the complexity of modern cases, where digital traces span jurisdictions, platforms, and technologies.
Unlike traditional conferences, the summit emphasizes practical tools and strategies, encouraging investigators to test their skills against simulated challenges drawn from real operational contexts.
India’s Expanding Role in Global Forensic Discourse
Hosting the meetings underscores India’s growing visibility in international law enforcement and forensic cooperation, particularly as cybercrime, financial fraud, and technology-enabled offences rise worldwide. The choice of Gandhinagar—home to a university dedicated exclusively to forensic sciences—signals a broader ambition to link academic research with frontline policing.
Registration and programme details for both the DFEG meeting and the investigators’ summit are available on the official event website, www.dfeg-iis.nfsu.ac.in. For participants, the gathering offers not only a chance to exchange expertise, but also a window into how artificial intelligence may redefine the boundaries of investigation in the years ahead.
