Rourkela, Nov 9: The Hack4Safety Cyber Security Hackathon, a national-level innovation challenge jointly organized by NIT Rourkela and Odisha Police, successfully concluded, officials said on Monday.

Held as part of Innovision 2025, the three-day event (Nov 7–9) brought together over 2,000 young tech enthusiasts from across India to tackle pressing cybersecurity challenges.

Real-World Challenges, Real-Time Solutions

Hack4Safety provided a dynamic platform for students to develop technology-driven solutions addressing cybercrime, victim support, and digital policing. Participants were tasked with solving seven problem statements curated by the Crime Branch, Odisha Police, including Cyber Fraud Victim Support, Missing Persons Tracking, and Case Diary Digitization.

Thirty finalist teams competed in a 24-hour coding marathon at NIT Rourkela, showcasing prototypes aimed at improving law enforcement efficiency and public safety.

Also Read: Odisha Rolls Out Cyber Safety Campaign 2025

Winning Innovations

Team ‘3-Renegades’ clinched the top prize of Rs 1,00,000 for their Cyber Helpline Chatbot, designed to assist victims of online fraud. Team ‘Hashmappers’ secured the runner-up spot with a Case Diary Digitization and Analytics System, earning Rs 50,000.

Track prizes of Rs10,000 each were awarded to:

•             Byte_brigade: Missing Person & Unidentified Body Tracker

•             Def_sync: Court Attendance & Witness Tracker

•             Intellects: Conviction Data Manager

•             CodeCrackers: Cyber Fraud Victim Tracker

•             CatGpt: Police Performance Dashboard

Leaders Applaud Student Efforts

The prize distribution ceremony was graced by Nitesh Wadhwani (SP, Rourkela), Prof. Niranjan Panda (Dean, Student Welfare), and Prof. Rajeev K. Panda (President, SAC), who commended the participants for their impactful contributions.

Dr. Sarthak Sarangi, IG of Police (CID-Crime Branch), inaugurated the event, emphasizing the importance of student innovation in building a secure digital ecosystem.