//DNA fingerprinting facility for Kerala police soon

DNA fingerprinting facility for Kerala police soon

Crime WatchFebruary 12, 2006

Forensic Sciences Laboratory here is all set to develop it

Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala State police will soon be able to use DNA fingerprinting as a tool for solving crime.

The Forensic Sciences Laboratory (FSL) here is all set to start a wing for analysing DNA extracted from biological evidence collected from crime scenes, official sources said.The DNA, which carries genetic information of an individual, will help the police identify an individual the same way as fingerprints do. The Rs.3-crore molecular biology wing is being set up as part of the State police modernisation plan.

The FSL has installed a new computerised polygraph machine at a cost of Rs.6 lakhs. A trained psychologist has been appointed for conducting lie-detector tests using the machine.

The FSL plans to set up an additional facility for increasing the success rate of polygraph tests by using electro-encephalographic sensors for monitoring brain wave patterns of suspects confronted with questions and images relating to the crime. The proposed facility will also have a voice stress detector and thermal imaging equipment for sensing variations in the rate of facial blood flow.

The FSL has sought the help of the Centre For Development of Advanced Computing (CDAC) for setting up a cyber forensic wing for analysing digital evidence in Internet, computer and mobile phone-related crimes.

With audio recordings increasingly figuring as evidence in crime cases, the FSL has proposed the setting up of a facility for identifying the caller by comparing the recorded voice with the voice samples of the suspect. So far, voice identification had been one of the less developed areas in forensic investigation in Kerala. The new system will help the police identify the speaker irrespective of the language or tone used. A facility is also being set up to analyse video content in tapes, CDs and DVDs and detect tampering in it, if any. The FSL has also proposed the setting up a wing for analysing automobile paints to identify vehicles involved in crimes, hit-and-run accidents and terrorist attacks. The FSL here is also soon to become part of the Integrated Ballistics Identification System (IBIS), a national database of images of markings on expended cartridge cases and bullets recovered from crime scenes. IBIS helps the police quickly find links and patterns in firearm-related crimes
 
http://www.hindu.com/2006/02/13/stories/2006021305740700.htm 

 

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