Last updated: 10 October 2026 (v5)
Navratri Suraksha is operated by Vadodara Rural Police to help keep women and girls safe while attending Navratri garba events. The app is published and maintained on behalf of Vadodara Rural Police by Voldebug Innovations Private Limited. This policy explains what the app collects, why, and how it is protected. Using the app is voluntary, and you consent to this policy when you register.
What we collect
- Your details — name, mobile number, age and gender, that you enter at registration. You must be 13 or older to use the app.
- Emergency contact — the name and mobile number of a parent or family member. It is required, so police can call them if you are overdue or press SOS.
- Your home location — only if you choose to save it. One point on a map, used to detect that you have reached home.
- Venue entry — the garba venue and time when you scan the entry QR code, with your location at that moment to confirm you were there.
- Home arrival — a single "reached home" signal when your phone comes within about 1 km of your saved home after the event. If you press SOS, your location at that moment.
- Live location during the trip home — from the time you leave the garba ground until you reach home, your location is shared with Vadodara Rural Police about once a minute, so they can reach you quickly if something goes wrong. While you are inside the ground, the app only checks every few minutes whether you are still there; no position is shared.
- Device information — a random app identifier and your phone platform, used to secure your session and detect misuse.
- Notification address — if you allow notifications, a push address issued by Apple or Google, so the police control room can send you messages (for example "Police have your SOS", or a safety notice for your venue). It is removed when you sign out.
Location — how it is used
With your permission the app uses location in the background, only between scanning in at a garba venue and reaching home. During that time:
- While you are inside the garba ground, the app checks your location every few minutes only to know whether you are still there. Your position is not shared; police only see that your phone is on.
- A notification stays on your phone showing your trip status and distance home, with an SOS button. It disappears once you are home.
- From the moment you leave the ground, your live location is shared with Vadodara Rural Police (about once a minute) and shown on the police control-room map, so officers can help you quickly.
- Sharing stops automatically when you reach home, when you sign out, or the next morning. If you press SOS, your exact location at that moment is sent at once.
Outside an active trip the app does not use or share your location. You can turn location off at any time, mark "I reached home" manually instead (this works only near your saved home), or remove your saved home. Trip locations are deleted after Navratri along with your other data.
Why we collect it
So that police on duty during Navratri can see which attendees are still on their way home, respond to an SOS quickly, and account for safe arrivals. This is carried out by Vadodara Rural Police in the public interest of safety during the festival.
Who can see it
Only authorised Vadodara Rural Police staff, through a secure internal dashboard. If you press SOS, your emergency contact also receives an SMS saying you pressed SOS and near which venue, so they can call you. Your data is not sold, shared with advertisers, or given to any third party. It is transmitted over an encrypted connection and stored on police-controlled servers.
Services used to run the app
- SMS gateway (an Indian telecom-registered provider) — to send your OTP code and the SOS SMS to your emergency contact.
- Google Maps Platform — shows the map and the place search when you choose your home for the first time. Your search text and the chosen place go to Google to show results.
- Apple Push Notification service and Google Firebase Cloud Messaging — deliver police messages to your phone. They receive the message and your notification address, not your location.
- Google ML Kit — reads the venue QR code with your camera on your phone; Google may receive basic usage statistics from it. No photos are stored or sent.
None of these services may use your data for advertising. There are no ads and no analytics trackers in the app.
How long we keep it
Your personal data is kept only for the Navratri period and is deleted after the festival. You may ask us to delete your data sooner (see Contact). Registering again on a new phone clears the home location previously saved for your number.
Your choices
- Saving a home location, and background location, are optional and can be removed at any time in the app.
- You can sign out, which ends your session on our servers.
- You can delete your account at any time in the app: Profile → Delete my account. This immediately deletes your account and all its data. Without the app, see how to request deletion.
Children
The app is intended for attendees of garba events aged 13 and above; registration is refused below 13. Users under 18 should use it with the knowledge of a parent or guardian, who is added as the emergency contact.
Contact
Vadodara Rural Police — Superintendent of Police office, Vadodara (Rural), Gujarat. For data requests or questions about this app, contact the Vadodara Rural Police control room, or write to the publisher, Voldebug Innovations Private Limited, at contactus@voldebug.in. In an emergency, call 112.